In a statement released on Tuesday, the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said that he will present two separate cases to judges before the end of the year charging between four and six people he believes "bear the greatest responsibility for the most serious crimes."
In April, Moreno Ocampo said he had a list of 20 possible suspects that included PNU and ODM leaders.
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Ocampo to prosecute six post-election suspects
From The Standard (www.standardmedia.co.ke)
Wednesday, 22 September 2010:
The International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo reiterates that he will present two cases against four to six individuals suspected of instigating post-election violence in Kenya.
The 2007/08 post-election violence left more than 1,000 people dead and thousands others displaced from their homes.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Ocampo said that he will present two separate cases to judges before the end of the year charging between four and six people he believes "bear the greatest responsibility for the most serious crimes."
The statement did not mention the names of potential suspects or give more detail on when Ocampo would file the cases to judges at the court, who would have to authorise any arrest warrants.
In April, Moreno Ocampo said he had a list of 20 possible suspects that included PNU and ODM leaders.
Kenya’s commitment to cooperate with ICC was called into question last month when it invited Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir during a visit. Al-Bashir has been indicted for genocide for allegedly masterminding atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region.
Moreno Ocampo underscored in his statement that both Kibaki and Odinga — political rivals in the disputed election that led to the violence — had publicly expressed support for his investigation.
He also said he hopes "the Kenyan justice system will ultimately deal with the many perpetrators that the ICC will not prosecute."
The international tribunal is a court of last resort that takes on cases only when a country is unwilling or unable to bring to justice perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Judges at the court publicly rebuked Kenya in August for failing to arrest al-Bashir, saying the country had "a clear obligation to cooperate" in enforcing arrest warrants.
Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula defended inviting al-Bashir to celebrate Kenya's new constitution, saying the Sudanese president is the "head of state of a friendly neighbour state."
