Reporting on trials at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands, is a huge challenge for African journalists. Few can afford to travel to The Hague, let alone stay in the city for the duration of the trial.
Journalists from ICC situation countries in Africa have had to rely on the international media or the court’s unreliable online web-streaming in environment with poor Internet connectivity. Journalists For Justice has been supporting African journalists to travel to the ICC to cover cases affecting their countries.
Dutchbuzz, the only local radio programme in English in The Hague, highlighted the challenges African journalists face while reporting the cases at the ICC through a conversation JFJ’s Thomas Verfuss had with two Ivorian journalists on their experiences reporting the trial of former Cote d’Ivoire’s president Laurent Gbagbo and his youth leader Charles Blé Goudé, who have been on trial since January 28, 2016. JFJ facilitated the two journalists’ trip to The Hague thanks to the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
Gbagbo is the first former head of state to be tried at the ICC where he is facing four crimes against humanity charges allegedly committed in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, between December 16, 2010 and April 12, 2011. The crimes include murder, rape, other inhumane acts alternative attempted murder and persecution.
Blé Goudé is also facing four charges of crimes against humanity and the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed that there was substantive evidence to establish his individual criminal responsibility, as an indirect co-perpetrator or contributor to the commission of crimes such as murder, rape, other inhumane acts alternative attempted murder and persecution.
Here is an audio recording of the conversation: Upload Music – Share Audio –
