Acceptance of the International Criminal Court in Côte d’Ivoire: Between the Hope for Justice and the Concern of ‘Victor’s Justice’

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The arrest of Laurent Gbagbo in April 2011 marked the end of a decade of political instability in Côte d’Ivoire. In October 2000, Gbagbo was elected President of said country but was defeated in a presidential election in 2010 by the former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo rejected the results, and both he and Ouattara, took the presidential oath, sparking violence that claimed the lives of 3,000 people and displaced a further 5,000. After the violence, demands grew for the prosecution of human rights violations committed during the period of armed confrontation from 19 September 2002 until after the election in April 2011. Due to a lack of trust in the efficiency and impartiality of existing justice institutions, calls for the involvement of the International Criminal Court (ICC) increased. In October 2011, the ICC Prosecutor opened proprio motu investigations and issued an arrest warrant for Gbagbo. The post-election crisis officially ended with Gbagbo’s arrest in 2011, although the political situation in Côte d'Ivoire was still not entirely settled.