Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague
have begun calling witnesses in the trial of Kenyan Deputy President
William Ruto, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity.
Ruto and radio executive Joshua Arap Sang are accused of helping to
orchestrate deadly ethnic violence after Kenya's 2007 election. More
than 1,100 people were killed in the unrest.
On Tuesday, a woman broke down and sobbed as she described a January
2008 mob attack on a church in Kenya's Rift Valley region. The woman
said several thousand youths armed with machetes and sticks surrounded
the church, where people had sought refuge from attacks. She said the
youths set the church on fire with people trapped inside. Investigators
say at least 28 people were killed in the incident.
The woman was present in the courtroom but her image and voice were
distorted to guard her identity. Prosecutors say witnesses have been
intimidated in the case, and several have dropped plans to testify.
Ruto and Sang have pleaded not guilty to charges of crimes against humanity.
At the trial's opening last week, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said
Ruto organized a campaign of armed attacks in the Rift Valley region as
part of efforts to gain political power. She said the attacks targeted
members of the Kikuyu ethnic group, who largely supported the Party of
National Unity (PNU).
Ruto at the time belonged to the Orange Democratic Movement, which lost the disputed 2007 presidential vote to the PNU.
Prosecutors have accused Sang of broadcasting anti-Kikuyu rhetoric on
a radio station and using coded messages to help coordinate attacks.
Ruto's case marks the first time the ICC has tried such a high-ranking official who is still serving in office.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is also facing charges of
orchestrating the post-election violence. His trial begins in November.
Many Kenyans object to the ICC trying their elected leaders, and
Kenya's parliament recently voted to withdraw from the ICC. Despite that
move, the court has said the trials will continue.
