ICC interventions in Cote d’Ivoire, DRC and CAR

Issues related to the interests of victims and rights of the accused will be discussed.

Date: 2018-12-07

Time: 18:00 to 20:00

Venue: Africa Room, World Forum, The Hague

This event is co-hosted by the Institute for Security Studies, l’Observatoire ivoirienne de droit de l’homme and TrustAfrica and hosted in French.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has pursued cases in Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). On 8 June Jean Pierre Bemba was acquitted on appeal because of the lack of evidence against him. The trials of Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé show difficulty in establishing charges against the defendants.  

Suspicions of impunity also persist in these countries. In Côte d'Ivoire, the amnesty ordinance issued by the president on 6 August, as well as the length of time the Gbagbo trial has taken, leave victims in doubt that justice will be done. The same applies to victims in CAR after Bemba’s acquittal. This side event will compare the delivery of justice in these ICC cases.

Attendance at this side event at the 17th ICC Assembly of States Parties requires prior accreditation from the Secretariat of the ASP.

Chair: Eric-Aimé Semien, President, OIDH

Speakers: 

Allan Ngari, Senior Researcher, ISS Pretoria ­- The Gbagbo and Bemba ICC cases: views and perspectives

Ali Ouattara, Coordinator, CI CPI Côte d’Ivoire - Reparations for victims in ICC situations in Côte d'Ivoire: state of play and prospects

Adv Hyacinthe Gbiegba, Coordinator, Central African Republic Coalition for the ICC - Socio-political impact in CAR of Bemba’s ICC acquittal

Pascal Kambale, OSF AfRO/OSIWA (TBC) - Bemba and Gbagbo trial: possible impacts and pre-electoral contexts in DRC and Côte d'Ivoire

Fadi El Abdallah, CPI (TBC) - ICC policies on intervention in CAR, Côte d’Ivoire and DRC