Gbagbo handed over to ICC

Spokesperson of the court says the same rules will apply to Bashir
Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Cote d’Ivoire, was handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Thursday under charges of suspected involvement in crimes of rape and murder.
Gbagbo becomes the first former president to be handed over to the ICC. In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Fady Abdullah, spokesperson of the ICC, said that Gbagbo’s handover to the Hague marks an important step in the process of delivering justice.
“It indicates the continued cooperation between the ICC and various countries for the implementation of the orders issued by judges,” Abdullah said.
He added that there was no exception to this irrespective whether the heads of state were still serving their terms. “The same thing applies for the Sudanese president who is wanted by the court. There is no immunity for anyone,” Abdullah said.
He said that everybody who is a suspect must appear in front of the judges of the ICC, which will allow a fair trial and re-establishment of peace in the country.
US activist welcomes arrest
On the other hand, Omar Ismail Kamaruddin, a Darfuri activist based in the United States who works for the ENOUGH Project, welcomed the arrest of Laurent Gbagbo by the ICC in The Hague.
In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Omar Kamaruddin Ismail said that the first lesson that everyone should learn out of this is that perpetrators of crime will be brought to justice sooner or later.
“Bashir will be at The Hague too one day, it is inevitable as we saw what happened today to the former president of Ivort Coast, Laurent Gbagbo,” he said.