International Court Postpones Kenyatta’s Trial

The International Criminal Court on Thursday postponed the trial of President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya on crimes against humanity charges until February.The judges in The Hague said that the trial, scheduled for Nov. 12, will now open on Feb. 5. In a statement, they expressed “deep regret that repeated adjournments of the trial have been necessary because one or both parties have required more time to prepare.” 

It was the second time that Mr. Kenyatta’s defense succeeded in pushing back the trial, originally scheduled to begin in July. On both occasions defense lawyers asked for more time to prepare. 

Last week they argued that the president had to deal with the crisis set off by a deadly attack on a Nairobi mall last month. Mr. Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto have been accused of orchestrating ethnic clashes that killed more than 1,100 people and displaced more than half a million people after a disputed election in 2007. 

Mr. Ruto’s trial has already begun. Kenya has turned to the African Union for support, and on Thursday, African delegates met with members of the United Nations Security Council in a bid to get the Council to use its powers to postpone the trials for a year. The diplomats say that Kenya’s leaders are playing an crucial role in fighting Islamist rebels in Somalia who are threatening an already unstable region.

Read More At: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/world/europe/international-court-postpones-kenyattas-trial.html?ref=kenya&_r=0