Cases
The Prosecutor v. Gbagbo and Blé Goudé
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Allegations & Charges
Factual Allegations
Charles Blé Goudé was the President of the Congress of the Young People and the Patriots (COJEP). The ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) alleges that Blé Goudé was a member of Gbagbo’s inner circle and attended and participated in meetings where Gbagbo and his close advisors discussed their plan to retain Gbagbo’s power by any means.
Blé Goudé allegedly gave political advice to Gbagbo, received instructions from him, and discussed his approval of the common plan to instruct pro-Gbagbo forces to attack civilians perceived to support Ouattara, often targeting civilians in specific ethnic or religious communities. He allegedly played a key role in recruiting and arming pro-Gbagbo youth militias which were integrated into the Ivoirian Defense and Security Forces (FDS). The OTP alleges that Blé Goudé had the ability to control and command the youth of militias and the FDS. He allegedly gave a speech where he called on the Young Patriots to “defend the country against foreigners and foreign peacekeepers,” which proceeded several attacks on civilians and peacekeepers.
Please visit the Court’s website for more information on The Prosecutor v. Gbagbo and Blé Goudé.
Charges
The Accused is alleged to have committed the crimes listed below as as an individual, jointly with another, or through another person (Article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute).
Under this mode of criminal liability, the Accused is charged with the following atrocity crimes:
Murder (Crime against Humanity): Article 7(1)(a)
Rape and Sexual Violence (Crime against Humanity): Article 7(1)(g)-1, (g)-6
Persecution (Crime against Humanity): (Article 7(1)(h)
Other Inhuman Acts (Crime against Humanity): Article 7(1)(k)
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Key Events
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Pre-Trial Chamber III issued a sealed arrest warrant for Blé Goudé on December 21, 2011, which was unsealed on September 30, 2013. Charges were confirmed against him on December 11, 2014. His case was joined with Laurent Gbagbo on March 11, 2015. The trial opened on January 28, 2016.
- Arrest Warrant Issued : September 30, 2013
- Initial Appearance : March 27, 2014
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Decision on the confirmation of charges
Confirmation of Charges : December 11, 2014
Press release - Decision to Join the Gbagbo and Blé Goudé Cases : March 11, 2015
- Start of Trial : January 28, 2016
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