Mar 1, 2013: Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday and said that he fought for democracy. The preliminary hearing will determine if he should face charges for the post-election violence in 2011.

Over 3,000 people were killed in violence when Gbagbo refused to accept defeat after election results showed him losing to his opponent Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo was extradited to The Hague at the urging of the international community. 

Mr. Gbagbo is one to two former African head of state to be charged by the ICC. The other is former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Gbagbo is expected to enter a not guilty plea.

The ICC opened in 2002 in an attempt to bring to justice to those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in countries that accept its jurisdiction, or when the UN Security Council refers a case to it.

Other individuals sought by the ICC include Kenyan presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running Bill Ruto for allegedly inciting the 2007 post election deadly violence and ethnic cleansing and northern Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir who is wanted for overseeing genocide in Darfur.