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Kenya urged to back ICC move

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 1 – Civil society organisations say the government should openly commit itself to arresting suspects who are identified by International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo as culpable in the 2008 post-election violence.

International Centre for Transitional Justice Head Njonjo Mue said on Thursday that nobody should be spared from prosecution.

“We fully expect that the government will cooperate in the investigations and in the event that after the investigation, the prosecutor gets indictments targeting specific people, the government will cooperate in arresting and handing over of those indicted,” Mr Mue said.

Africa Center for Open Governance founding member Gladwell Otieno added that the government also needs to pay more attention to the proposed amendment of the Witness Protection Act.

“We call upon the government to prioritise the proposed amendments to the Act to establish an autonomous and effective witness protection agency,” Ms Otieno stated.

“However, the government cannot wish away its own responsibility to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of gross human rights violators.”

Pre Trial Judges at the ICC have authorised Mr Ocampo\’s request to investigate Kenya\’s post election violence. Two of the judges approved the investigation while one dissented.

"The information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed on Kenyan territory," a statement from ICC said.

It added: "The majority moreover found that all criteria for the exercise of the Court’s jurisdiction were satisfied, to the standard of proof applicable at this stage."

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More than 1,000 people were killed and 650,000 displaced in the post-election mayhem that rocked the country.

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