afrol News, 4 March - The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor has submitted a list of 20 names of top officials suspected of the 2007 political violence that killed close to 1 500 people in Kenya.

Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo said in The Hague that those sought for prosecution either organised, financed or spurred the violence against civilians because of their political or tribal allegiance.

The prosecutor in November asked judges to allow a full-scale probe into the violence in which thousands of people were injured and about 300 000 internally displaced, which he claimed were crimes against humanity.

Then the court said Moreno Ocampo provided the judges with a list of the most serious incidents and the names of 20 suspects, but neither list was being released.

According to Mr Moreno Ocampo the 20 suspects are from the ruling Party of National Unity of President Mwai Kibaki and the Orange Democratic Movement led by Mr Raila Odinga.

"These senior leaders from both PNU and ODM parties were guided by political objectives to retain or gain power," the prosecutor's statement said.

"They implemented their policy with the involvement of a number of state officers and public and private institutions, such as members of the parliament, senior government officers, the police force and youth gangs," he said.

The ICC, the world's only permanent independent tribunal to try war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, can only take cases when countries are unwilling or unable to do so.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories