Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of Ivory Coast, jailed for 20 years

Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of Ivory Coast, on 10 March 2015 was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court.

She was sentenced for her role in violence and undermining state security that followed the Presidential elections in 2010. About 3000 people died while fighting in the violence.

The power struggle between President Laurent Gbagbo and his challenger Alassane Ouattara in 2010 resulted in months of fighting. After the results of the Presidential poll, Gbagbo refused to concede victory and relinquish his post to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, who was declared winner.

In 2011, Simone Gbagbo, nicknamed Iron Lady, was arrested along with her husband and charged with undermining the security of the state and organising armed gangs during the unrest.

Currently, Laurent is being held by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, awaiting trial for charges of crimes against humanity. The ICC has also charged Simone, but Ivory Coast has refused to hand her over.