The International Criminal Court (ICC) said Monday that a hearing to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to confirm charges against Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of Ivory Coast, who stand accused of crimes against humanity, will begin on June 18, 2012. An ICC pre-trial chamber set the date at Gbagbo's initial appearance in the court in The Hague, the Netherlands, where the tribunal is based. The charges against Gbagbo are connected to the election-related violence that erupted in Ivory Coast nearly a year ago. He was surrendered to the ICC last week by Ivorian authorities. At the hearing, in the presence of representatives from both the prosecution and the defense, the court verified the identity of Gbagbo and ensured that he was clearly informed of the charges brought against him and of his rights under the treaty that established the ICC.
