Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta faces War Crimes Charges

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta will soon become the first head of state to attend hearing by International Criminal Court.  

He will do this as a private citizen after temporarily quitting as the office and handing the charge to his deputy William Ruto.

He is facing charges of crimes against humanity in a 2007 case where over 1,000 people were killed in post election violence - in the deadliest violence in the country since independence in 1963.

He is said to have incited the ethnically-motivated carnage that left some 600,000 uprooted from their homes.

Background

• Mwai Kibaki had won a highly controversial election in 2007 amidst allegation of widespread rigging by the opposition.
• Mr Kenyatta - a Kikuyu ethnic and close aide of Kibaki - is one of the prominent accused, believed to have given the dispute an ethnic spin.
• This led to a massive riot putting Kikuyu against other groups primarily backing the opposition. 
• Though, it won't be the first time he would be appearing for trial - having already been there in 2013 before becoming president.
• Vice-President Ruto is also in the dock as he too had taken active part in the ethnic cleansing - albeit on the side of the then opposition leader Odinga.

Africa is Angry..!!

• African Union, primarily the eastern bloc, is livid at the so-called judicial coup by the ICC which is increasingly being seen as playing into the hands of western powers.
• Earlier this year, Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir had become the first head of state to be indicted by the world court.
• The regional group accuse ICC of biasness for singling out African leaders for war crimes whereas leaders of influential western nations sitting/retired go scot free.
• Moreover, sitting presidents across much of developed world enjoy diplomatic immunity till they are in office at least.
• Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe cites example of Tony Blair and George Bush who may never (though should) face the trial by ICC for Iraq war. 

About ICC

• It has been constituted to prosecute and bring to justice people responsible for the worst crimes - genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes - committed across the globe.
• It springs into action only when national authorities are unwilling or unable to prosecute.
• The judicial institution is significantly weaker and vulnerable as compared to the ICJ in the absence of support from countries that matters.

Take a look

• US, surprisingly, is not one of the 121 countries to have ratified the ICC.
• Other major powers excluded from the list are India, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia.
• Russia, Israel, Iran and Egypt are yet to ratify it despite being signatory to the same.

World leaders to be charged by the ICC

• Laurent Gbagbo: Ivory Coast's former President 
• Jean-Pierre Bemba: DR Congo former vice-president
• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - the first against a serving head of state