(EMAILWIRE.COM, September 19, 2009 ) Hague, Netherlands - On 17 and 18 September 2009, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo met with representatives of Kenyan civil society organizations (ICPC, KHRC, ICJ-K, ICTJ-K as well as KNCHR) who traveled to The Hague to explain their position on the post-election violence that hit the country in early 2008.

The Prosecutor emphasized that Kenya would prove an example of how to work together with the international community and the Court to end impunity and prevent future crimes. “Kenya will show how to manage past violence and how to create a peaceful process for the upcoming elections in 2012. Kenya will be an example to the world.” In the coming days, the Prosecutor will further be in contact with representatives of the Kenyan Government to discuss next steps. “We all agree that impunity is not an option,” he stressed, “and that to prevent new violence in 2012 it is necessary to prosecute those responsible for the crimes committed during the post election violence.”

On 3 July, a high level delegation from Kenya met with the Prosecutor in The Hague to discuss the Kenya situation. The Parties reiterated on that day that primary responsibility for conducting investigations and prosecutions into crimes that may fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC lay with the Kenyan authorities. Should efforts to conduct national proceedings fail, the Government of Kenya committed to referring the situation to the Court in accordance with Article 14 of the Rome Statute.

The International Criminal Court is an independent, permanent court that investigates and prosecutes persons accused of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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