ICC cautions Kenya ahead of ruling

ICC says the expected judgment does not mean the suspects are guilty and that neither does not confirming the charges mean the end of the case.

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday appealed for peace to prevail among Kenyans as the country awaits a ruling on Ocampo Six “any time before Monday.”

ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah said in a video posting that Kenyans should maintain peace and remain calm pending the ruling on the confirmation of charges against the six key post election violence suspects.
Abdallah said the Pre-Trial Chamber led by Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova has asked Kenyans to accept the court’s decision and restrain their actions or utterances likely to provoke tension in the country.

“The judges reiterated their appeal to all Kenyans to refrain from engaging in any actions that may endanger the security, property or safety of any victim or witness, and to also refrain from engaging in actions likely to raise tensions in the country,” Abdallah said.

The ICC statement comes a day after Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, one of the six suspects who could be committed to trial for crimes against humanity, called for calm, insisting the pending verdict would not affect his campaigns for the 2012 elections.

Former Higher Education Minister William Ruto who is also one of the suspects said he was confident that his latest political party would form the next government.

The ICC has indicated a verdict on whether its prosecutors have provided adequate evidence to link the suspects to the crimes, including forceful population displacements, murder and rape, is due anytime before January 23.