• Will Kenya's new president respect international court?
    Apr 12, 2013
    Commentary
    Kenya's new president missed the opportunity on day one to declare unequivocal commitment to the International Criminal Court and his administration should do so as soon as possible, says campaign group
  • Kenya: Q&A on Recent Developments on the International Criminal Court
    Apr 8, 2013
    Q & A

    On April 9, 2013, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta was sworn in as Kenya’s president, following a Supreme Court decision rejecting challenges to the March 2013 election. Kenyatta, along with the deputy president-elect, William Samoei Ruto, both face trial (in two separate cases) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of committing crimes against humanity during Kenya’s 2007-2008 post-election violence.

  • Kenya: New Leadership Should Uphold Rights and Obligations
    Apr 8, 2013
    Press release

    President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, who are being sworn in April 9, 2013, should ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today. Their new government should also uphold and protect the bill of rights in Kenya’s constitution, Human Rights Watch said.

     

  • Kenya: Local Judicial Mechanism Should Complement ICC Cases
    Apr 27, 2012
    Press release
    The Kenyan government should reaffirm its commitment to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in cases stemming from the 2007-2008 post-election violence, while establishing a local judicial mechanism to investigate and prosecute other suspects.
  • Kenya: ICC Judges OK Election Violence Trials
    Jan 23, 2012
    Press release

    The decision on January 23, 2012 of an International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber to send cases to trial against four Kenyans opens the door to justice for victims of Kenya’s 2007-2008 election violence. Kenya’s authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the decision does not lead to violence, and to stop violence if it does break out, given that people thought to have been cooperating with the ICC investigations have been threatened.

  • Regional Anti-terror Campaigns Gone Awry?
    Sep 26, 2011
    Commentary
    Before he was arrested last year in Uganda on terrorism charges, Al Amin Kimathi was hailed as an outspoken activist who challenged East African governments to conduct lawful counterterrorism operations.
  • Kenya: Q&A on Pre-Trial Hearing in Second ICC Case
    Sep 20, 2011
    Q & A

    On September 21, 2011, a “confirmation of charges” hearing will begin before an International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber in The Hague. It will determine whether the second case in the Kenya situation at the ICC should be sent to trial. The ICC prosecutor’s investigations have focused on the violence in Kenya that followed what was widely perceived as a rigged presidential election in favor of the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, in December 2007.

  • Kenya: Q&A on Pre-Trial Hearing in First ICC Case
    Aug 30, 2011
    Q & A

    On September 1, 2011, a “confirmation of charges” hearing will begin before an ICC pre-trial chamber in The Hague. It will determine whether the first case in the Kenya situation at the International Criminal Court (ICC) should be sent to trial. In March, the pre-trial chamber issued summonses to appear for these six people, and all six appeared voluntarily before the court in April. The Kenya investigation – the ICC’s fifth – opened in March 2010 after the prosecutor received authorization from the court. Kenya ratified the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, in 2005.

  • Time to Go Beyond Ocampo Six
    Jun 9, 2011
    Commentary
    As a court of last resort, the ICC must defer to genuine national prosecutions. The Kenyan government claimed that it had already begun investigations into the post-election violence and was ready to step them up, including the cases against the Ocampo Six. But the judges rejected Kenya’s “admissibility challenge,” finding no evidence that the government was actually investigating them. A promise to investigate, the judges held, is not enough to stop existing ICC cases.
  • UN Security Council: Letter Regarding Upcoming Trip to Africa
    May 12, 2011
    Letter

    In advance of the UN Security Council's trip to Africa, Human Rights Watch wrote to members of the council to highlight key human rights concerns to address while in Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia.