Ocampo comes under attack: He is accused of wasting time by hiding the names in the Kenya ICC list

ICC chief prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo handed over the names to the pre-trial chambers at The Hague. Photo/ FILE

By�TOM MATOKE and GEORGE MUNENE

International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Friday came under attack for his failure to expose post-poll violence plotters. Nairobi Metropolitan Development minister Njeru Githae made the surprise attack on the prosecutor, accusing him of wasting Kenyans� time.

Decisions crucial for Kenya�s development could not be made because leaders were waiting to know the 20 names handed over to the Hague judges, he said. �Some leaders cannot make political decisions because they fear their names are in the envelope.�

Speaking at Baricho provincial administration offices in Kirinyaga West District, Mr Githae said Kenyans were tired of waiting to know those who instigated the violence that left 1,133 people dead. �If such people do not exist, Ocampo should tell us so that we can settle down.�

Ocampo has handed over the names to the pre-trial chambers at The Hague. The evidence linking the suspects to the chaos was drawn from the Waki report and that of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

At the same time, Mr Githae told Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission chairman Bethuel Kiplagat to ignore calls for his resignation.

Meanwhile, a man who claims his life is in danger because of his role in violence is to be given round-the-clock security.

Mr Clement Wafula, 26, had pleaded with a Kapsabet court to hand him a life sentence, claiming he burned houses and looted property during the chaos that followed the 2007 presidential election.

Mr Wafula will be under 24-hour police protection for the next 10 days after Kapsabet senior magistrate Gerald Mutiso said the court had a duty to protect everyone.

source.nation.ke

Norway hands over chair of Holocaust Task Force to Israel

Norway has held the chair of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) for the past year. Norway has now handed over the chairmanship to Israel. Norway�s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr St�re, commented: �We took on this task with humility and deep commitment, and we are confident that Israel will continue this work in a positive way.�

During its chairmanship, Norway has given priority to strengthening the ITF�s ability to meet the political challenges of today, such as growing anti-Semitism in several European countries and discrimination of the Romani people.

�The Holocaust showed the ultimate horrific consequence of anti-Semitism, and is without parallel in history. We must ensure that future generations understand the causes of and reflect on the impact of the Holocaust. Such an atrocity must never be allowed to happen again,� said Mr St�re.

The Norwegian chairmanship took the initiative to modernise the ITF and increase its efficiency in order to strengthen its political clout.

�We have discussed the role of the chair with Israel and have full confidence that it will continue the work Norway has started to increase the ITF�s political relevance in the fight against anti-Semitism,� said Mr St�re.

The ITF is the only international organisation that works exclusively to increase knowledge and awareness about the Holocaust. Under the Stockholm Declaration, its founding document, member states are committed to promote education, remembrance and research about the Holocaust.

The chair rotates on a voluntary basis between the ITF�s 27 member states. Ambassador Tom Vraalsen has led and represented the ITF on behalf of Norway over the last year.

source.mfa.norway

Ocampo should stop harrassing black leaders: ICC chief: Sudan’s Bashir “will face justice”

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. Photo/FILE

By�JIM DURYPosted�Friday, March 5�2010�at�12:14

LONDON (Reuters) – Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will eventually face justice in The Hague, according to the head of the International Criminal Court.

Speaking on the first anniversary of the ICC issuing an arrest warrant for Bashir, its president Judge Sang-hyun Song dismissed criticism that the man wanted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity has not been apprehended.

“When arrest warrants were issued against Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor, people laughed and said it was a joke, but it took less than three years to get them brought before the tribunal,” Song said on a visit to London.

“President Bashir will be brought to the Hague to face justice.”

Bashir has dismissed the ICC warrant and said any ruling by the court is worthless.

The United Nations believes that seven years of violent conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region has left 300,000 dead.

ICC prosecutors say Bashir “masterminded and implemented” a plan to destroy three ethnic groups, the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa, using a campaign of murder, rape, and deportation.

It was the first warrant ever issued by the ICC for a sitting head of state.

Speaking at the event in parliament organised by the Henry Jackson Society, a geopolitical think-tank, Song said the ICC was successfully acting as a deterrent to despots across the world.

“Some at the U.N. have told me they have noticed a deterrent effect by the judicial actions we’ve taken. Perhaps the would-be perpetrators of atrocities fear us, and this is an indication of our progress,” Song said.

Song also praised U.S. President Barack Obama for adopting a more positive attitude to the ICC than his predecessor.

“The U.S. government has ended its antagonistic stance towards the ICC and the key phrase that their officials use is having a ‘positive engagement’ with us,” he said.

The United States has yet to ratify the 1998 Rome Statute which established the ICC and which has been signed by 60 countries.

Former President George W. Bush expressed concern that lawsuits could potentially be initiated against U.S. citizens abroad.

source.nation.ke