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Annan submits names of Kenya election violence suspects to ICC prosecutor

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Thursday delivered the names of those believed responsible for the post-election violence in Kenya in late 2007 and early 2008 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Annan sent a sealed envelope to ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo despite a June announcement that he would give Kenya until August to form a tribunal to investigate the violence before handing over the names of suspects to the ICC. Last week, a Kenyan delegation had pledged to formulate a prosecution plan by September. Because Kenya is party to the Rome Statute, Moreno-Ocampo may prosecute suspects believed to have committed crimes over which the ICC has jurisdiction. In late December 2007, tens of thousands of protesters took to Kenya's streets accusing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki of election fraud after early opinion polls suggested rival Raila Odinga was in the lead. Kibaki ultimately won the election by a narrow margin. Two months later, in a move that could have eased the violence, Kibaki and Odinga agreed to write a new constitution for Kenya. Earlier this year, however, Kenya's parliament rejected the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2009, along with a Special Tribunal for Kenya Bill, 2009 that would have set up a special domestic court to try persons believed to have committed post-election crimes. An estimated 1,500 people died as a result of the election violence.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on July 10, 2009 (boomark / email).