Nairobi - The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Friday families of witnesses due to testify against alleged masterminds of Kenya's post-election violence had been the targets of new threats.
A statement by Luis Moreno-Ocampo's office said the latest intimidation would not stop the presentation of the cases.
“The Prosecutor is identifying those who are organising such threats and will eventually request arrest warrants for individuals who persist on such threats,” the statement said.
Death threats previously made to some witnesses and their relatives have compelled the ICC to move some key witnesses out of the country.
Fighting erupted in east Africa's largest economy in December 2007 after Prime Minister Raila Odinga accused his arch-rival, incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, of stealing the presidential vote.
Moreno-Ocampo's investigations have rattled Kenya's political class and driven a wedge into the fragile coalition government formed in March 2008 to help end the bloodshed.
Some of the suspects may include cabinet ministers.
The state-funded Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights has said in a report that suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and others were architects of the violence.
Ruto, who travelled to The Hague last month to try to clear his name, accused the human rights group of abusing the witness protection scheme by bribing and coaching witnesses.
Moreno-Ocampo said the ICC had found no evidence to support the bribery allegations.
He said on Thursday he would present his case against six Kenyans by December 17 but would not issue arrest warrants, instead giving the suspects the opportunity to appear voluntarily at the Hague-based court. - Reuters