The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally received a request from the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition to investigate the “killing and maiming” of its supporters by police.
The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) told the Sunday Nation that it has the letter detailing individuals the opposition claims were killed or injured by security officers.
The office neither confirmed nor denied whether the grounds cited meet the threshold for the pre-trial chamber to authorise investigations. It cited Article 15 of the Rome Statute, which bars it from making comments or sharing details of the information.
“Under article 15 of the Rome Statute, any individual or group may send information (communication) on alleged crimes to the ICC prosecutor, who is duty bound to protect the confidentiality of the information received,” the OTP said.
“The Office of the Prosecutor, therefore, does not comment on such communications, beyond confirming receipt… if the sender has made that fact public.”
In the letter, Mr. Odinga, through his lawyer Paul Mwangi, requests that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan investigate Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome for violating the Constitution by declaring opposition protests illegal.
The coalition has named an alleged special police squad formed by Mr Koome in order to terrorise its supporters.
In a recent response, the Inspector General dismissed the letter as “a mix of propaganda and half-truths,” claiming that it left out victims of criminals who used the protests to loot businesses and destroy property.
“In that letter have they talked about the Kisumu businessman who was crying? Did you see him saying he was rendered bankrupt in one day? Have they talked about a supermarket called Muhindi Mweusi? In one day somebody became a pauper by losing Sh20 million. In that letter, has that been mentioned or is it just mentioning Koome?” he posed.
