Protesting Kenyans Ask ICC To Reopen Ruto’s Case of Crimes Against Humanity

Kenyans in the Netherlands have stormed the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Hague asking the court to reopen the criminal case against President William Ruto which was closed in 2016.

The case, which involved Ruto and six others borders on three crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible deportation and persecution in the post-election violence of 2007 that reportedly claimed 1,300 lives and left over 600,000 homeless.

Prosecutors alleged that Ruto was involved in the deadly violence that erupted after his country’s 2007 presidential elections in which opposition chief Raila Odinga, from the Luo ethnic group, accused then president Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu, of rigging his way to re-election.

According to the prosecutors, Ruto held meetings with members of his Kalenjin tribe in his Rift Valley home to incite them against the Kikuyu tribe.

The case was terminated in 2016 (he was then the Deputy President of Kenya) due to insufficient evidence.

Protesters are now asking the ICC to reopen the case. This is on the backdrop of his handling of the ongoing anti-taxation protests in Kenya which has claimed at least 23 lives, according to human rights groups.

Kenyans living in the Dutch country stormed the ICC home in Hague, armed with placards and calling for the reopening of their President’s criminal case. At home, young protesters are calling for his resignation.

It is noteworthy that the case can be reopened as its dismissal was not a unanimous decision among the three judges that presided over the trial which lasted 157 days.

The majority decision of two judges ruled for the dismissal of the case, while the dissenting judge noted that the prosecution case had not broken down and there was sufficient evidence to continue with the case.

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Oluwatobi Odeyinka

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