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ICC Witnesses Protest Plan to Relocate Hideout
By Mwakilishi | Wed, 08/15/2012 06:17PM -0400
New ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda taking oath of office
International Criminal Court witnesses against four Kenyans facing charges at The Hague have rejected a plan to move them to hideouts in African countries from Europe where they are currently under protection. Human rights groups have asked ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to intervene and stop the Victims and Witnesses Protection Unit from proceeding with the proposal to relocate the witnesses ahead of the hearing of the cases.
Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura and radio journalist Joshua Sang face charges of crimes against humanity during the 2007-08 post-election violence. The ICC judges have set the cases against the four to begin on March 10 and 11, 2013. Reports indicate that some of the witnesses have threatened not to testify before the ICC should they be forced to move to the African states, which are yet to be identified.
Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Ken Wafula, whose group assisted in the initial protection plan, says they have received complaints from the witnesses about their fears on the intention to return them to Africa. Wafula said the intended move is occasioned by the high cost of maintaining the witnesses in European nations. He said the ICC should instead seek support from other countries and international groups that can offer protection. “This is unacceptable and we are asking the ICC prosecutor to ensure that they do not risk the lives of witnesses by sending them to insecure and hostile environments in Africa," said Wafula.
He said the African Union had already opposed the ICC process against African leaders and there was thus no way African states that are members of the AU can be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting witnesses. “The ICC should not handle the witnesses in a manner that endangers their lives and also undermines the search for justice in the poll violence cases," said Wafula. He said one of the witnesses, who was initially under protection in a neighbouring country, had to flee for his life after being threatened.
It has also emerged that a witnesses who allegedly fought with a protection officer last year is still under detention in a European state as punishment for the crime. The witness had allegedly demanded better welfare and care for his children but a bitter argument ensued between him and the protection officer leading to a physical fight in which the officer was injured. “For over a year now the witness has been in detention and efforts to have him released have fallen on deaf ears. This has caused fear among other witnesses who no longer feel safe," said Wafula. Two children of the witness have been taken to a children’s home and not a school as the family had requested. The ICC has about 20 Kenyan witnesses hidden abroad for safety.
Source: The Star
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Thu, 08/16/2012 12:34AM -0400
#1
This devilish ICC case against Kenyans will fail! How can they use lies pretending to seek justice. They could not allow Tony Gachoka and Miguna to go tell the truth and now the foreign countries that have been sponsoring the fake witnesses cannot afford the burden of maintaining the leeches in Europe. Those who hoped to lie about Uhuru and others in exchange for non-existent flashy lives in Europe or North America are in for a rude shock. Overseas there is no freebie.
The ICC has lost integrity, their witnesses are freaking out and evidence in the hands of Miguna and Gachoka shows that the ICC has the wrong suspects. May the phony ICC case totally collapse as the fake witnesses scatter in 7 different directions!!!!!!!!! Bensouda inherited trash from Ocampo and now she is trying to get a chance to coach the fake witnesses who have by now forgotten what Omar Hassan told them to say. It will not work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Truth will out and ICC will be ashamed.
ICC is not about justice, it is about paving way for one-world government, which will collapse after 3 and a half years after all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Read your Bibles. God hates false scales!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thu, 08/16/2012 02:34AM -0400
#2
We are a sovereign country and we are able to choose our friends and those to work with. We can't be forced to elect leaders who are not out to lead us, but to sell our country. The foreign power brokers like "Clinton" should know that we are aware of their deals.
On the other hand, if ICC is a legal and independent court, it should evaluate the weight of the self claimed witnesses like Miguna and Tony Gachoka.
Thu, 08/16/2012 02:51AM -0400
#3
1330 people lost their lives , over 500,000 people displaced upto now some are living in tents and have been given a name called PEV ( POST ELECTION VIOLENCE VITIMS) They said DON'T BE VAGUE GO TO HAGUE. Hague did not invite us we invited it.DId l hear you talk about integrity?
Integrity is when you are able to exercise caution while handling human life and their property, integrity is not when Miguna has information that Uhuru Kenyatta and Ruto and Sang and Muthaura are planing to to turn Kenya into killing fields and he keeps it to later write a book. Intergrity is not when Tony Gachoka has the diary of the Prime Minister and in that diary he has seen information that ODM is going to kill PNU supporters and he still carries it around earning a salary as Prime Minister's diary holder. Rit l don't know the bible you want me to read or l don't know what you mean when you say God hates false scales.
Shame on Miguna and Tony Gachoka they had information that innocent Kenyans were going to be murdered and they did nothing about it. If they resigned and denounced the plans before 1330 people died that is what l would term as intergrity.
Don't blame ICC it is a process to establish the truth after these two evil men had let hidden it. No wonder ICC has rejected to host Tony Gachoka and Miguna even taking statements from them. To me they are calpable.
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