ICC: Kenya needs to protect election violence witnesses
26/01/2010
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has advised Kenya to protect witnesses to post-election violence that took place in 2007 and 2008.
According to the organisation, people who claimed to have saw what happened have been intimidated after agreeing to testify at the investigation into the incidents, entitled the Waki Commission, the BBC reported.
Correspondence published by newspaper the Standard saw ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo state that the body has been made aware of reports that potential ICC witnesses "had been threatened and intimidated".
"The primary responsibility to protect persons at risk lies first and foremost with Kenyan authority," the news provider quotes Mr Ocampo as adding.
Those responsible for instigating the violence, which began after the country's election in 2007, will be brought to justice, the ICC has pledged.
Earlier this month, extensive flooding threatened the health and livelihoods of those living in Kenya, as approximately 30,000 people were affected, the Kenyan Red Cross informed.
Written by John Curtis
