ICC grants Gbagbo permission to travel

The International Criminal Court has granted former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo permission to leave Belgium under certain conditions following his acquittal last year over post-election violence that killed 3 000 people. Gbagbo, the first head of state to stand trial in The Hague, and his deputy Charles Ble Goude were cleared in early 2019 of crimes against humanity – eight years after his arrest. A report on the News24 site notes that Belgium had agreed to host Gbagbo after he was released under strict conditions, including his return to court for a prosecution appeal against his acquittal. The ICC said Gbagbo could travel, provided the country he was going to agreed to receive him. It is unclear whether he can return to the Ivory Coast, where his Ivorian Popular Front Party is preparing to challenge President Alassane Ouattara's ruling party in elections scheduled for October.