ICC summons six high-ranking Kenyans linked to 2007 violence

ICC summons six high-ranking Kenyans linked to 2007 violence

2011-03-10 04:49:40 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued summonses for six high-ranking Kenyan officials suspected of committing possible crimes against humanity during the country's post-electoral violence three years ago.

An ICC pre-trial chamber declared by a majority of two to one that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the six committed the alleged crimes and ordered them to appear before the court on 7 April, a United Nations statement said.

The suspects include prominent politicians Henry Kiprono Kosgey, William Samoei Ruto and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, as well as radio journalist Joshua Arap Sang, head of public service Francis Kirimi Muthaura and former police commissioner Mohamed Hussein Ali. The court believes they were either indirect co-perpetrators or contributors to the crimes against humanity of murder, forcible transfer and persecution.


More than 1,100 people were killed, 3,500 injured and up to 600,000 forcibly displaced in the violence that followed the December 2007 elections. There were also hundreds of rapes, possibly more, and at least 100,000 properties were destroyed in six of Kenya’s eight provinces, according to ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who had requested the summonses.

The six were ordered to have no direct or indirect contact with any person who is or is believed to be a victim or witness of the alleged crimes.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday discussed the cases with Kenyan Vice-President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka at UN Headquarters in New York.


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