Gbabgo’s ICC hearing postponed to November

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has postponed a hearing on former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo's application for release after defence lawyers said they needed more time. On Monday, the court began dealing with Gbagbo's application to be acquitted of crimes against humanity and to be freed after seven years in detention. A report on the News24 site notes that Gbagbo, the first head of state to be handed over to the ICC, has been on trial since 2016 for his role in fomenting post-electoral violence eight years ago in the west African nation. ‘We were confronted with a prosecution response of 1 100 pages and with 1 500 pages of documents on Monday,’ said Geert-Jan Knoops, lawyer for Ble Goude. Judge Cuno Tarfusser granted the request, setting the new hearing for 12 November.

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