International Criminal Court drops charges against Kenyan leader
December 6, 2014 at 1:03AM
The International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday that its chief prosecutor has withdrawn charges of crimes against humanity against President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, ending a tortuous case that showed the limits of the court's power.
But the prosecutor said that her office had the right to bring new charges at a later date if more evidence was found.
Kenyatta, the first sitting president to appear before the court, had been accused of helping to orchestrate and finance a wave of ethnic violence after disputed elections in 2007, in which more than 1,200 people died and 600,000 fled their homes.
The start of Kenyatta's trial had been postponed five times.
The collapse of the case was a setback for the court and demonstrated the limits of its powers. It is an apparent acknowledgment that the government of Kenya has outmaneuvered the court by creating an atmosphere of fear and forcing witnesses to withdraw.
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