NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 16 – International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo now says he will indict six individuals by the end of the year, among them leaders from the two main political parties ODM and PNU, who used their communities to kill.
Mr Ocampo said in a video broadcast at a workshop for journalists on the ICC process in Nairobi that he had been collecting evidence to prove that the chaos witnessed in Kenya after the disputed 2007 General Election amounted to crimes against humanity.
“We will present a case before the judges against six individuals that we consider most responsible for the crimes committed. We will prove that some leaders from both parties… both sides (ODM and PNU) were abusing the loyalty of their communities to attack others,” he said in the video link.
The prosecutor also said it was his wish that the investigations in Kenya would help prevent such crimes in future elections.
However he urged Kenyans to also work hard to compensate the victims of the violence and bring healing to the entire country.
“It is not just the work of the court. It is basically a common challenge and Kenyans have to face the problem. They have to work together to see how to compensate those who lost their homes, those who were raped. You have to ensure the next election is peaceful. But you are not alone, we are with you,” he said.
Mr Ocampo said the court was determined to walk with Kenya in its quest for justice but also threw the ball back to the government to do its part.
Visiting Associate Analyst in the Office of the Prosecutor Claus Molitor set the record straight on several issues concerning the ICC investigations in Kenya.
He told the media workshop that the court protects its witnesses and was careful not to expose them.
He also said the court does not accept any person found to have been compromised as a witness.
According to him, the court is not provided with witnesses, but carries its own investigations and identifies its own witnesses.
It also does not rely on any lists, organisations or individuals but entirely relies on the prosecutor’s own evidence.
Mr Molitor also said the investigation stage is kept confidential to ensure witnesses are not at risk: “The prosecutor will not make any public announcements until all evidence is collected.”
The court has also said suspects who expose witnesses will be prosecuted since it is a crime to do so.
He said the court gave suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto an opportunity to meet with court officials where he explained his position in relation to the poll chaos, and was open to listen to others willing to give the court their accounts of what transpired.
Mr Molitor said: “The Prosecutor accepts all relevant information and is not bound by anyone’s visit.”
Mr Molitor and his colleague Nicola Fletcher are in the country and will visit Nakuru and Kisumu areas in an attempt to correct any misconceptions about the court process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5TdVO8XUzU
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