Ivory Coast's former president Laurent Gbagbo can leave Belgium under certain conditions, the International Criminal Court said on Thursday, following his acquittal last year over post-election violence that killed 3 000 people.
Gbagbo, the first head of state to stand trial in The Hague, and his deputy Charles Ble Goude were cleared in early 2019 of crimes against humanity - eight years after the former West African strongman's arrest and transfer to the court.
Belgium had agreed to host Gbagbo after he was released under strict conditions, including his return to court for a prosecution appeal against his acquittal.
It therefore remains uncertain if Gbagbo can return to Ivory Coast, where his Ivorian Popular Front Party (FPI) is preparing to challenge President Alassane Ouattara's ruling party in elections scheduled for October.
Gbagbo and Ble Goude had been charged with four counts of crimes against humanity over the 2010-2011 bloodshed following a disputed vote in Ivory Coast: murder, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts.
