80 Witnesses Planned in Kenya Violence Trials

Posted January 10th, 2013 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
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International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors are planning to call dozens of witnesses in their cases against four well-known Kenyans accused of organizing deadly post-election violence in 2008.

The four Kenyans include Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who is running for president in Kenya's March 4 elections, and Mr. Kenyatta's running mate William Ruto.

In documents submitted to the ICC on Wednesday, prosecutors said they would question 34 people in their case against Mr. Kenyatta and Cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura.

They said they plan to question 46 people in the case against Ruto and journalist Joshua Arap Sang.

The four men face charges that include murder, forcible deportation, persecution and other acts that constitute crimes against humanity.

Prosecutors said they believe they will need a total of almost 1,400 hours of court time for the cases. The trials are set to begin in April — a month after the election.

Kenya erupted in riots and ethnic violence after the disputed presidential run-off in December 2007, in which President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner. More than 1,100 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes.