The former first lady of the Ivory Coast was today jailed for 20 years for 'undermining state security ' during post-election violence in 2010-2011 that left nearly 3,000 dead . Simone Gbagbo , the wife of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo was also accused of 'organising armed gangs ' after her husband rejected results of the 2010 presidential elections . The court 'unanimously ' condemned her to 20 years in jail , court president Tahirou Dembele said . Ivory Coast 's former first lady Simone Gbagbo arrives at the Court of Justice in Abidjan last month during her trial for 'attempting to undermine the security of the state ' in events leading to 2010-2011 electoral bloodshed . Gbagbo 's face hardened as the verdict was read . She was ' a little affected ' by the sentence , her lawyer Me Rodrigue Dadje told AFP . ' I am ashamed of Ivorian justice , ' he said , adding that they would appeal the sentence . 'We showed that impunity in Ivory Coast must not continue , ' said state prosecutor Soungalo Coulibaly . Laurent Gbagbo 's son Michel , a French-born dual national from a previous marriage , was also sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the violence . Once referred to by admirers and opponents alike as Ivory Coast 's 'Iron Lady , ' Simone Gbagbo has been on trial since January with 82 co-defendants accused of varying degrees of involvement in the deadly unrest . A key issue in her trial was whether she played a part in directing the death squads that ran amok in the weeks after the disputed vote . Prosecutors had asked for a lighter 10-year jail term for the 65-year-old Gbagbo . 'Simone Gbagbo most certainly participated in the composition of armed gangs , ' state prosecutor Simon Yabo Odi told the court , adding 'her men ... participated in an insurrectional movement . ' Relatives of victims of the 2010-2011 post-electoral violence in Ivory Coast protest last month in front of the Palace of Justice in Abidjan as they call for the sentencing of the former first lady Simone Gbagbo . The previous day , the former first lady gave testimony for nearly four hours , confronting witnesses who said they 'd seen her distributing arms to youths in Abidjan with flat denials . She told the court that she 'forgives ' her accusers , saying : ' I have suffered humiliation on humiliation during this trial . 'But I am ready to forgive ... because if we do not forgive , the country faces a crisis worse than what we experienced . ' She also said she did not 'know exactly what the concrete actions are that I am being accused of ' , and insisted her husband had legitimately won the 2010 election . Nearly 3,000 people were killed in months of post-election violence , which was halted by the intervention of international forces acting under a UN mandate and led by former colonial power France . The son of Ivory Coast 's former President Laurent Gbagbo , Michel Gbagbo ( right ) , and former Ivorian Foreign Minister Alcide Djedje ( left ) arrive at the Court of Justice in Abidjan , on March 9 . The defeated regime allegedly used brutal militias to attack supporters of the declared winner of the poll , Ouattara , but some of his backers are equally accused of atrocities in violence that killed thousands . The Gbagbo couple were arrested in April 2011 . The former first lady was taken into custody in the north of the west African country , where she testified she was 'beaten with incredible violence ' . The former president himself is in The Hague awaiting trial in July for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court . Affi N'Guessan , the former head of the first couple 's political party , was sentenced to 18 months in jail for his role in the unrest , covered by the two years he has already served in detention . No one close to Ouattara has been investigated or prosecuted in connection with the violence . A supporter of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo makes the victory sign as he arrives at the Court of Justice in Abidjan on March 9 .
Simone Gbagbo , 65 , convicted of ' violating state security ' in 2010 - 11 . prosecutors alleged she played a part in directing death threats after disputed vote . Her husband , ex - Ivorian president Laurent ##o , disputed the result .