ICC prosecutor: Prosecute Kenyan election violence suspects

Nov 26, 2009, 13:33 GMT

The Hague - The suspects behind the violence in Kenya's 2007 presidential elections should be prosecuted, the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference at The Hague-based court, Moreno Ocampo said he had requested the court's permission to conduct an investigation into the events that claimed more than 1,500 lives and displaced 300,000 people.

The violence erupted after supporters of current Prime Minister Raila Odinga claimed he had been cheated out of victory in the December 2007 presidential poll against incumbent President Mwai Kibaki.

Without naming names, Moreno-Ocampo said he want to prosecute 'at least one and a maximum five' people who allegedly played a key role in the violence. Formal permission from the investigation chamber is required before an inquiry can be launched.

'This is only the beginning of a long road to justice in Kenya,' the Argentinian-born prosecutor said.

It remains unclear when the judges will issue a decision on Moreno Ocampo's request. If granted, it will mark a new phase in the ICC's investigations into the events in Kenya.

On July 16, Kenya transferred to the ICC prosecutor six boxes of evidence compiled by the international Waki Commission of Inquiry, which investigated the violence in 2008.

The transfer of the boxes, the result of an agreement between Kenya and the ICC prosecutors, was intended to assist Moreno-Ocampo in his preliminary investigation.

At the press conference, Moreno-Ocampo emphasized that lower ranking suspects ought to be tried locally by Kenyan courts.

Whether that will ever happen, remains unclear. Earlier this summer, the Kenyan government blocked the establishment of a special local tribunal to prosecute suspects, and in the years since the violence took place, no suspects have been arrested.