The International Criminal Court on Wednesday dashed Ivory Coast ex-president Laurent Gbagbo’s hopes of a swift release following his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity.
Trial judges had earlier ordered Gbagbo and his right-hand man Charles Ble Goude to be immediately freed after clearing them of any role in a wave of post-electoral violence in 2010-2011 that killed 3,000 people.
Celebrations erupted outside the court and Gbagbo’s daughter said he planned an emotional homecoming to the Ivory Coast, after seven years in detention.
But prosecutors filed a last-ditch challenge late Wednesday to keep the pair behind bars while the ICC looks at an overall appeal against Tuesday’s decision to acquit them. Read more