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STORY: KENYA / ICC RULING
TRT: 2.28
SOURCE: ICC
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 09 SEPTEMBER 2013, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
1. Wide shot, presser
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Herman von Hebel, Registrar, ICC:
(His voice under cutaway of press)
“We believe that once states have accepted to become a state party that they should stay within this system that they should work with the system, with the Court, that other state parties work closely together in order to make sure that the court can effectively function.”
3. Cutaway, presser
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Herman von Hebel, Registrar, ICC:
“We don’t think that that is the right message. The victims of the future should not feel that they are without redress to this (air) Court and to international justice.”
5. Cutaway, Herman von Hebel leaves the presser behind and Fatou Bensouda takes her seat at the press briefing
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor, ICC:
“This is ongoing, it is organized, it is happening. One thing you also have to note that those who are creating those crimes are going to grave lengths to cover their identity and the office of the prosecutor has continued to collect information to be able to know who these people are and at the appropriate time this information and evidence will be presented to the judges.”
7. Cutaway, presser
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor, ICC:
“These are serious allegations that are levered against my office which is not true, I want to emphasize that this is not true. There is no reason for the office to try to organize and coach witnesses to come and give evidence. The mandate of the office is tor present a case based on the truth and we a re trying to uncover the truth and to present it before the judges. There has never been, there is no issue, there will never be an issue of coaching or organizing witnesses to come and present evidence. I want this to be clear.”
9. Cutaway, presser
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Karim Khan, Defense lawyer:
“This case will fall apart in the end this is what we will submit to the trial chamber tomorrow. It will be done so by a decision of the trial chamber after hearing the evidence, but it will be done because of lack of evidence because of the wrong targets selected, the deficient investigations that were conducted and not for any reasons.”
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecution and defense teams for the case against Kenya’s Deputy President, William Ruto, and his co-defendant, the radio broadcaster Joshua arap Sang, briefed the press today (9 Sept) in the Hague.
On the recent vote by parliament in Kenya to remove itself from the ICC, Herman von Hebel, the case Registrar said that once states had accepted to become a state party to the Court the country was expected to “stay within this system”.
While noting that the hypothetical withdrawal of Kenya would not effect ongoing cases, only future ones, Hebel added that he didn’t think it would be the “right message” for Kenya to give, adding that the victims of the future "should not feel that they are without redress to this (air) court and to international justice.”
On the claims of possible witness tampering, the Courts Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stressed “this is ongoing, it is organized, it is happening,” adding that her office had continued to collect information regarding suspects and that the information would be presented to the judges.
And regarding allegations of witness coaching she said that “these are serious allegations that are levered against my office which is not true, I want to emphasize that this is not true.”
Defence lawyer Karim Khan said the case lacked evidence and that it would "fall apart in the end - this is what we will submit to the trial chamber tomorrow.”
