Nairobi -
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned a thanksgiving service held by former ICC accused in Kenya on Saturday.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted a thanksgiving service to express his gratitude that the International Criminal Court (ICC) dropped charges of crimes against humanity against Deputy President William Ruto and a co-defendant Joshua arap Sang last week.
Kenyatta called the case’s closure the end of “what has been a nightmare for my nation”. The case was the last pending before the ICC directly related to the deadly violence that rocked Kenya in the wake of the 2007 elections.
Similar charges against Kenyatta himself were formally dropped last year by the ICC.
Elizabeth Evenson, HRW senior counsel: international justice program, reacted to the thanksgiving service saying: “Supporters of Kenyatta and Ruto may celebrate this Saturday, but the nightmare for victims of that violence goes on.
“In the absence of the ICC, the road to justice for Kenya’s post-election violence victims is unclear. But similar struggles – by victims of Chadian dictator Hissène Habré, of genocide at Srebrenica, and of Latin American juntas – show that eventually justice can catch up even with the politically powerful. Until that day arrives, there is little cause for celebration,” said Evenson.
HRW had interviewed many victims of the post-election violence of 2007/8 and found that they suffered physical and psychological trauma and socio-economic hardship. She said survivors of sexual violence were the most traumatised.
“There may well be lip-service paid at Saturday’s service to victims, but the fact of the matter is that their suffering has been made all the worse by the Kenyan government’s failure to provide medical care, psychosocial support, and compensation, much less any accountability,” said Evenson.
“Kenyatta has yet to make good on a promised ‘restorative justice’ fund for victims,” said Evenson, alluding to the sh10billion that Kenyatta announced in 2015 would go towards reparations of the post-election violence victims.
Evenson said the victims of sexual violence had not given up even after the ICC discharge of the cases.
“This week survivors of sexual violence were back in a Kenyan court, pressing a constitutional petition to compel the government to restart investigations,” she said.
Last week Kenyatta said many victims who had been dislocated had now been resettled and compensated and the government continued to respond to “the outcomes of that unfortunate period of our history”.
The ICC on April 5, terminated the case against Ruto and journalist Joshua arap Sang.
Trial Chamber V(A) decided by majority, with Judge Olga Herrera Carbuccia dissenting, that the case against the two accused was to be terminated.
The court said the termination did not preclude a new prosecution in the future, either at the ICC or in a national jurisdiction.
This decision may be subject to appeal.
The post-election violence claimed the lives of over 1 000 Kenyans and displaced over 600 000.
– African News Agency