Former Ivorian 1st lady (Simone Gbagbo) gets 20 years' jail for violence

Former first lady Simone Gbagbo was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years' jail by an Ivory Coast court for her part in post-election violence that killed more than 3,000 people four years ago.

Her lawyer, Rodrigue Dadje, called it a "purely political decision to keep her out of the political game."

But there was jubilation from a prosecutor.

"We have shown that impunity cannot continue in Ivory Coast," said Soungalo Coulibaly, a state lawyer who participated in the legal action.

Former President Laurent Gbagbo awaits trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged war crimes including rape, murder and persecuting political opponents before his fall from power in 2011.

http://www.newsday.com/news/world/former-ivorian-1st-lady-gets-20-years-jail-for-violence-1.10039717