ICTJ in the News

December 21, 2008

Lobby calls for global standards for tribunal

Daily Nation

By Bernard Namunane

The world lobby on transitional justice has asked the Government to peg the operations of the envisaged tribunal to try suspected perpetrators of the post-election violence to international standards.

The International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) said Kenya could borrow from the working of other tribunals in order to meet the specific benchmarks of independence, impartiality and detailed investigation.

"In a country where there has been a history of suspicion against the justice system, it is imperative that public confidence be quickly restored," said ICTJ Cape Town office director Comfort Ero.

"This process must be seen to be free from political interference, otherwise it will be perceived as a witch-hunt or an attempt to remove political opponents."

However, the centre saluted the decision to establish the special tribunal on Kenyan soil and described it as great leap towards ending the culture of impunity.

"It further strengthens efforts that began at the start of the year to address the cycle of human rights violations, abuse of power and misuse of public office in Kenya," said Suliman Baldo, director of ICTJ's Africa programme.

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga last week signed a pact on the establishment of the tribunal.

The step was meant to beat the deadline set in the Waki report for the Government to either commit itself to setting up the tribunal or the matter be taken to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

The signing of the pact begins a journey that will see the suspected architects of the post-election violence tried in Kenya.

The Waki list that is in the hands of chief mediator Kofi Annan has names of six Cabinet ministers, five assistant ministers and a number of MPs and business people who are to be investigated for their role in the post-election violence in which more than 1,000 people were killed and at least 350,000 uprooted from their homes.

"Lobby calls for global standards for tribunal" originally appeared in the Daily Nation.