ICC orders status conference in Kenyatta trial for October 7 and 8 News
ICC orders status conference in Kenyatta trial for October 7 and 8

[JURIST] The International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] on Thursday ordered a status conference [ICC news release] for October 7 and 8 in the case of The Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta [ICC case materials]. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta [ICC case info. sheet, PDF] plans to attend with over 150 members [Shanghai daily report] of the Kenyan Parliament. The hearings will be held to discuss the status of cooperation [PR Newswire report] between the ICC prosecution and the Kenyan government and issues raised in the prosecution’s notice of adjournment [ICC news release; JURIST report] dated September 5. Despite earlier reports that other African leaders would accompany Kenyatta at the Hague for his trial next week, the presidents of Rwanda and Uganda [All Africa report] have elected not to attend. On Wednesday the ICC declared [JURIST report] the Kenyan president must appear in court for his hearing next week, rejecting a request by the leader to be excused due to scheduling conflicts, stating that the case has reached a “critical juncture” and that “the requirements of justice in this case necessitate the physical presence of the accused in court.”

The upcoming status conference marks the latest episode in the ongoing legal dispute between Kenyatta [JURIST news archive] and the ICC. The major rift in the case is the lack of response and cooperation from government officials in Kenya to investigation requests from the ICC prosecutor’s office. In February Kenyan Attorney General Githu Muigai told the ICC the government will not release Kenyatta’s financial records [JURIST report] without a court order in compliance with Kenyan law. Kenyatta was charged in March 2011 with five counts of crimes against humanity as an indirect co-perpetrator of the violence following Kenya’s 2007 elections, which led to more than 1,100 deaths.

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