KENYA: ICC drops Uhuru Kenyatta charges

Prosecutors
at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague have said they are
withdrawing charges against Kenya’s leader Uhuru Kenyatta.

A statement
said the evidence had “not improved to such an extent that Mr Kenyatta’s
alleged criminal responsibility can be proven beyond reasonable doubt”.

President
Kenyatta was indicted for crimes against humanity in connection with violence
after elections in 2007.

He had
denied the charges.

On 3rd
November, 20, the court had given prosecutors a week to decide whether to
pursue their case or to drop charges.

Further
delays in President Kenyatta’s case would be “contrary to the interests of
justice”, it had said.

Mr Kenyatta
was the first head of state to appear before the court, after he was charged in
2012.

The
prosecution repeatedly asked for more time to build its case, saying witnesses
had been bribed and intimidated, and the Kenyan government had refused to hand
over documents vital to the case.

Mr Kenyatta
denied inciting ethnic violence following the disputed 2007 elections in order
to secure victory for then-President Mwai Kibaki.

He said the
ICC case was political.

Mr Kenyatta
won presidential elections in 2013, with the backing of Mr. Kibaki.

He used the
case against him to rally nationalist support by accusing The Hague-based court
of meddling in Kenya’s affairs.

Some 1,200
people were killed in the violence in 2007-8 and 600,000 were displaced.

Source: BBC News