Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé

Gbagbo and Blé Goudé were charged with four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and other inhumane acts or—in the alternative—attempted murder and persecution. The crimes in question were alleged to have been committed in Côte d’Ivoire’s capital Abidjan during a pro-Ouattara march, at a women’s demonstration and in a densely populated area in the city from December 2010 to April 2011. 

Gbagbo was accused of committing these crimes jointly with members of his inner circle and through members of pro-Gbagbo forces or—in the alternative—of ordering soliciting and inducing the commission of these crimes or—in the alternative—of contributing in any other way to their commission. Blé Goudé was accused of ordering, soliciting and inducing the commission of these crimes or—in the alternative—of aiding and abetting in their commission. 

Charges were confirmed against Gbagbo and Blé Goudé in June 2014 and December 2014, respectively. In March 2015, ICC judges decided to join the cases—although the two defendants’ alleged roles in the conception and implementation of the common criminal plan differ, the events and evidence in question overlap. The trial was initially scheduled to open in November 2015, but was postponed to January 2016 based on a Court-ordered assessment of Gbagbo’s fitness to stand trial.