Cote D’Ívoire President Grants Amnesty To Gbagbo’s Wife
President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire has declared amnesty for Simone Gbagbo, who had been convicted of offences against the state during a brief 2011 civil war.
Simone Gbagbo, the wife of former president Laurent Gbagbo, was one of 800 citizens that Ouattara said he had pardoned, in a state address broadcast live on TV.
She had been tried and convicted in 2015 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In 2017, an Abidjan court acquitted her of crimes against humanity and war crimes linked to her role in the 2011 civil war that killed about 3,000 people.
Human Rights groups criticised that decision.
“Because of my commitment to peace and true reconciliation, I proceeded to sign this day an amnesty order, which will benefit 800 of our citizens,” Ouattara said in the address that seemed to be aimed at cooling political tensions.
Cote d’Ivoire is Francophone West Africa’s largest, most successful and diverse economy.
