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        Security Council to Consider Delay in ICC Kenyatta, Ruto Trials

   by VOA News

   The U.N. Security Council is set to consider a resolution that could
   delay the crimes against humanity trials of Kenyan President Uhuru
   Kenyatta and his deputy.
   Three African nations on the Council - Rwanda, Togo and Morocco - plan
   to present the resolution Friday. The measure would ask the
   International Criminal Court to delay the trials of Kenyatta and Kenyan
   Deputy President William Ruto for one year.
   Both men are accused of orchestrating ethnic violence after Kenya's
   2007 presidential election that killed more than 1,100 people.
   The resolution needs at least nine votes on the 15-member Council to
   pass. Rwanda's deputy head of mission to the U.N., Olivier
   Nduhungirehe, told VOA's Central African Service on Thursday that seven
   nations plan to vote yes.
   "Besides the three African countries we have Azerbaijan, Russia, China
   and Pakistan, and we hope that during these 24 hours remaining, we will
   continue to engage some of [the other Council members] to get the two
   votes needed," he said.
   The trial of Ruto began in September. Kenyatta's trial was due to begin
   this month, but was postponed until February.
   Kenya has argued the two men cannot spend long periods of time in The
   Hague while Kenya tries to fight the threat of regional terrorism.
   Somali militant group al-Shabab attacked a Nairobi mall in September,
   killing more than 60 civilians.
   Some Kenyan and African leaders also have accused the ICC of having a
   bias against Africans. Every person prosecuted by the ICC to date has
   come from an African country.
   On Wednesday, Amnesty International called on the U.N. to reject calls
   to defer the trials of the Kenyan leaders. Amnesty said victims of the
   post-election violence in Kenya have waited long enough for justice.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/security-council-to-consider-delay-in
   -icc-kenyatta-ruto-trials/1790225.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/security-council-to-consider-delay-in-icc-kenyatta-ruto-trials/1790225.html