20110411
allAfrica.com

Now that Cote d'Ivoire's Laurent Gbagbo has been detained in Abidjan after a four-month stand-off that brought the nation to full-scale war, the incumbent president should be held accountable, Human Rights Watch said Monday.

"Gbagbo has been credibly implicated in crimes against humanity and other atrocities for which he should be held to account," Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "He should not be granted a golden exile in a country that would shield him from national or international prosecution."

Gbagbo is currently in the custody of internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara at the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where Ouattara has been holed up since shortly after the November 28 election that Gbagbo disputed. The vote was certified by the United Nations, declaring Ouattara the winner, but Gbagbo had himself sworn in as president, saying the poll was fraudulent.

Monica Mark/IRIN

Laurent Gbagbo and his wife have reportedly been transferred to the Hotel du Golf, which can be seen in the background.

After a joint operation between French special forces and Republican Forces loyal to Ouattara, Gbagbo was detained at his residence in Abidjan earlier on Monday. Reports said Gbagbo's wife, Simone, was with him.

"Ouattara’s forces have an obligation to treat him and others in their custody humanely in accordance with international law," Bekele said.

"After months of fighting in which civilians suffered terribly, Ouattara takes control of a deeply divided country. To end over a decade of abuse and impunity, Ouattara’s new government needs to ensure that all those responsible for the crimes that have characterized this painful period of Cote d’Ivoire’s history face fair justice, regardless of their rank or political allegiance," he said.