ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast ? Ivory Coast's former strongman, who refused to accept his loss in last year's election and nearly dragged the country into civil war in a bid to retain power, has boarded a plane and is en route to the International Criminal Court following the issue of an arrest warrant, according to his spokesman and a government official.
Ex-President Laurent Gbagbo has been under house arrest in the tiny village of Korhogo over 300 miles (500 kilometers) north of Abidjan since being ousted by internationally backed forces seven months ago.
In Abidjan, Gbagbo's spokesman Kone Katinan confirmed that the former ruler had left the small locality in a special flight headed to The Hague. "He's in the plane," Katinan said. His departure was confirmed by a senior advisor to the country's new president, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
In Paris, Gbagbo's lawyer Emmanuel Altit said he had filed an appeal to stop an international arrest warrant issued Tuesday through Ivory Coast state prosecutors. He said he expected that if the appeal isn't granted, the ex-president would be transferred overnight.
The development, which comes almost exactly a year to the day after Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election, was applauded by victims of Gbagbo's regime and by rights groups because of the signal it sends against impunity.
Once he arrives in The Hague, Gbagbo will become the first former head of state to be taken into custody by the tribunal since its founding in 2002. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted, though he refuses to surrender, while former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor and Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic have been tried there by special ad hoc tribunals, rather than the world court.
The move could further stoke tension in Ivory Coast, however, because it gives the appearance of victor's justice, since grave abuses were also committed by forces loyal to the country's democratically elected leader, Alassane Ouattara, who enlisted the help of a former rebel group in order to force Gbagbo from office.
In the Abidjan neighborhoods that voted in large numbers for Gbagbo, the frustration was palpable. Retired insurance salesman Jack Koutouan, 67, called the move "an abuse of the law."
Leaders of Gbagbo's party, whose members are either under house arrest or else in exile, called the pending extradition an "injustice."
"It's an injustice to judge him alone without judging (Guillaume) Soro," said party spokesman Augustin Guehoun, naming the country's defense minister who headed the armed group that invaded the country in order to install Ouattara.
The United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented how the advancing army set fire to villages that voted for Gbagbo, and executed those that could not run away, including the elderly and the disabled, by rolling them inside mattresses and then setting them on fire.
"He is not the only one responsible (for the human rights abuses committed during the post election period)," said 30-year-old Kossonou Agingra. "There were partisans of Alassane (Ouattara) who killed ? and partisans of Gbagbo who killed."
The 66-year-old Gbagbo, a history professor, came to power in a flawed election in 2000. He then failed to hold elections when his first five-year term expired in 2005, and rescheduled the vote a half-dozen times before it finally went ahead in 2010. Among conditions set by the international community, which Gbagbo accepted, were that the results would be certified by the United Nations in order to prevent his regime from rigging the vote.
But as soon as it became clear that Ouattara was leading in the polls, Gbagbo's presidential guard surrounded the election commission, preventing the results from being announced.
The killings began as soon as the United Nations declared Ouattara the winner, and for the next four months morgues overflowed as the military under Gbagbo's control executed opponents, gunned down protesters and shelled neighborhoods.
The turning point came in March when thousands of unarmed women led a demonstration demanding Gbagbo's departure. Tanks opened fire with 50-caliber bullets and the horrific scene that followed was caught on camera phones, and led to condemnation by governments around the world, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The United Nations helped by French forces began air strikes soon after, clearing the path for Ouattara's soldiers to enter the city, where they seized Gbagbo inside his bunker.
"Today is a big day for the victims of crimes committed during Ivory Coast's horrific postelection violence," said Elise Keppler, senior counsel to Human Rights Watch in an email.
"While the Gbagbo camp fueled the violence through its refusal to relinquish power and its incitement, forces on both sides have been repeatedly implicated in grave crimes," she said. "The many victims of abuse meted out by forces loyal to President Ouattara also deserve to see justice done."
Spokesman for Ouattara's government Kone Bruno said he did not believe the pending indictment could destabilize the nation, which is still plagued by pockets of violence between the two camps. He added that the international court will likely be more impartial than an Ivory Coast court. "If a judgment were made in Ivory Coast, it wouldn't be objective," he said.
In the Netherlands, Gbagbo is likely to be better treated than he has been at home. He is currently confined to two rooms, and prohibited from going outside. His lawyers told reporters after they had met with him that he was not even allowed to shave himself, and has had no contact with his family.
A confidential United Nations document leaked to The Associated Press on Tuesday states that Gbagbo's health "seems to be deteriorating." He was having "trouble standing up," as of Nov. 23.
In The Hague, Gbagbo will likely be held in the same North Sea-facing complex that also houses ex-Liberian warlord Charles Taylor and Congolese politician Jean-Pierre Bemba. Inmates have TVs, access to the internet and a choice of books to read, as well as regular contact with their attorneys.
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Callimachi contributed to this report from Kinshasa, Congo. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Paris and Mike Corder at The Hague also contributed to this report.
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