ICC summons President Uhuru Kenyatta

What you need to know:

  • The statement said the Trial Chamber postponed the trial date in the President Kenyatta case in order to have more time to consider the recent requests by the parties and participants in the trial, without prejudice to its ruling regarding those requests.
  • On August 28, 2014, Trial Chamber V(b) had ordered the prosecution to file a notice confirming whether it would be in a position to begin the trial of Mr Kenyatta on October 7, 2014, the statement explained.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday summoned President Uhuru Kenyatta to appear before it on October 8, 2014, as the Trial Chamber postponed the start of his hearing.

President Kenyatta’s case had been provisionally scheduled for October 7.

In a statement posted on the ICC website, the Chamber said it had also convened two public status conferences for October 7 and 8 at 10am (The Hague local time) to discuss the status of cooperation between the prosecution and the Kenyan Government and the issues that arose in the prosecution's notice of September 5, 2014, respectively.

“A Representative of the Kenyan Government is invited to attend the first status conference and Mr Kenyatta is required to be present at the second status conference. Both hearings will be held in the presence of the Prosecution, the Defense and the Legal Representatives of Victims,” read the statement.

TWO REQUESTS

The statement said the Chamber postponed the trial date in President Kenyatta's case in order to have more time to consider the recent requests by the parties and participants in the trial, without prejudice to its ruling regarding those requests.

“The Chamber's decision was made with due regard to the requirements of article 64(2) of the Rome Statute, which states that the Trial Chamber shall ensure that a trial is fair and expeditious and is conducted with full respect for the rights of the accused and due regard for the protection of victims and witnesses,” said the statement.

On August 28, 2014, Trial Chamber V(b) had ordered the prosecution to file a notice confirming whether it would be in a position to begin the trial of Mr Kenyatta on October 7, 2014, the statement explained.

“On September 5, the Prosecution filed this notice, requesting the Trial Chamber to further adjourn the trial of Mr Kenyatta until the Government of Kenya executes in full the Prosecution's April 2014 Revised Request for records.

PROSECUTION NOTICE

"On September 10, 2014, the Defense filed a response to the Prosecution notice and a request to terminate the case against Mr Kenyatta. The legal representatives of victims also filed a response to the Prosecution notice on the same day,” said the statement.

The Trial Chamber had on March 31, 2014, adjourned the commencement date of the trial in the Kenyatta case to October 7, to give the Government of Kenya another, time-limited opportunity to provide certain financial and other records relating to President Kenyatta

The prosecution had previously requested those records on the basis that the records are relevant to a central allegation in the case.

President Kenyatta is charged, as an indirect co-perpetrator, with five counts of crimes against humanity consisting of murder, deportation or forcible transfer, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts allegedly committed during the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008.

The charges were confirmed on January 23, 2012, and the case was committed to trial before Trial Chamber V(b).