• Building a House on a Sand Pile: The Cost of Ignoring Justice in Côte d’Ivoire
    Apr 22, 2013
    Commentary

    Nearly two years have passed since the end of Côte d’Ivoire’s brutal five-month long post-electoral crisis, which resulted in the slaughter of at least 3,000 civilians and the rape of 150 women.

  • Côte d’Ivoire: Unrealized Promises for Impartial Justice
    Apr 3, 2013
    Press release
    The Ivorian government has not yet delivered on its promises of impartial accountability for the serious international crimes from the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The government should step up support to judges and prosecutors handling these cases so that victims from both sides can finally see justice.
  • Q&A: Laurent Gbagbo and the International Criminal Court
    Feb 12, 2013
    Q & A

    Laurent Gbagbo is the former President of Côte d’Ivoire. He has been charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with four counts of crimes against humanity: murder, rape and other forms of sexual violence, other inhumane acts, and persecution. The crimes were allegedly committed by forces under his control during post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire, between November 28, 2010 and mid-May 2011. He has been charged as being responsible for these crimes as an indirect co-perpetrator or, in the alternative, because he contributed to the commission or attempted commission of crimes “by a group of persons acting with a common purpose.” The confirmation of charges hearing against Gbagbo—the first former head of state to be in ICC custody—brings victims one step closer to learning the truth behind his role in the post-election violence.

  • Statement at the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire
    Mar 21, 2012
    Oral statement

    In his first report, the Independent Expert highlights important ongoing problems related to criminality, the continued usurping of state functions by the Republican Forces in certain regions, and the need to end impunity in order to restore the rule of law.

  • Justice in Côte d’Ivoire
    Jan 11, 2012
    Impact
    Late in the afternoon on November 29, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo was removed from his prison cell in the dusty northern town of Korhogo and served with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He was then put aboard a plane to The Hague, where he now faces four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and persecution.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Gbagbo’s ICC Transfer Advances Justice
    Nov 29, 2011
    Press release
    The transfer of former President Laurent Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for his alleged role in international crimes during Côte d’Ivoire’s devastating post-election violence is a major step toward ensuring justice. Human Rights Watch called on the ICC prosecutor to move swiftly on investigations for grave crimes committed by forces allied with the current president, Alassane Ouattara.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: ICC Judges OK Investigation
    Oct 3, 2011
    Press release
    The International Criminal Court (ICC) judges took a major step to ensure justice for victims in Côte d’Ivoire by authorizing the ICC prosecutor to open an investigation into crimes committed in the country’s devastating post-election violence.
  • Côte d’Ivoire: ICC Prosecutor Seeks Investigation
    Jun 23, 2011
    Press release
    The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken a significant step toward ensuring that those responsible for grave crimes committed in Côte d'Ivoire are held to account, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Letter to African Union Chairperson Jean Ping on the 17th AU Summit
    Jun 21, 2011
    Letter
  • Côte d’Ivoire: Impartial Justice Top Task for Ouattara
    May 19, 2011
    Press release
    Alassane Ouattara should act promptly to make sure that those responsible for grave crimes in Côte d’Ivoire over the past dozen years are credibly brought to account, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to him. Ouattara is to be inaugurated as president on May 21, 2011.