The International Criminal Court postponed a key hearing in the case against Laurent Gbagbo , the former Ivory Coast president who is facing charges of crimes against humanity . A confirmation of charges hearing originally planned for Monday is rescheduled to August 13 , the court said in a statement . His lawyers asked for a delay to give them more time to prepare for an effective defense . The hearing is to allow judges to hear arguments from both sides to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial . Gbagbo is accused of crimes against humanity after he rejected election results and refused to step down when current president , Alassane Ouattara , was declared the winner in the 2010 poll . The standoff sparked months of violence between supporters of both sides , leaving thousands dead . The former leader is accused of the crimes for actions committed by forces loyal to him during the standoff . He says he is not guilty . `` Mr Gbagbo allegedly bears individual criminal responsibility , as indirect co-perpetrator , for four counts of crimes against humanity , namely murder , rape and other forms of sexual violence , persecution and other inhuman acts , '' the international court said in a statement last year . It said the alleged crimes occurred between December 2010 and April 2011 . Authorities arrested Gbagbo in April last year , ending the standoff . In November , he was flown to The Hague , Netherlands , where the court is based . Rights group have said forces loyal to both leaders committed crimes during the standoff .
The ex-president of Ivory Coast is facing charges of crimes against humanity . The hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial . Laurent Gbagbo is accused of the crimes after he rejected presidential poll results in 2010 . His refusal to step down sparked months of protests .