'Gbagbo is innocent' - the former president's supporters cry out

At the beginning of the trial of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo at the Hague, his supporters in Ivory Coast say he is innocent of the crimes he is being charged with.

Former President Gbagbo,70, and his co-accused, Charles Ble Goude pleaded not guilty to four count of charges, at the International Criminal Court.

The former president’s support base is still very strong in the capital.Many gathered to watch the court proceedings live on Tv. The crowd cheered him on when they saw him.

“With this trial, we want our president to be freed. Gbagbo is innocent. It is the Westerners who locked him up, but Gbagbo did nothing. They don’t want him to govern,” Elene Sie, a supporter of Gbagbo said

“The ICC is an impartial institution. It is there to lock up Africans. We don’t want the ICC anymore. Justice needs to be returned to the Africans. We can solve our own problems among ourselves.” she added.

“Today the ICC will reveal itself to the whole world. We are here to find out what it actually represents. It’s true that we have prejudices, but with this trial, the ICC will show the world what it truly is. It’s not Gbagbo that’s on trial but the ICC because we already know who Gbagbo is for.” Roger Takore , another supporter of Gbagbo said.