Six senior Kenyans face charges over deaths of 1,200

In another important step for the International Criminal Court (ICC), on Wednesday its prosecutor announced charges against six high-profile Kenyans, including the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.

The charges all relate to the violence that killed 1,200 people after disputed elections in 2007:

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says in recent days there has been a degree of panic among some members of the usually untouchable political elite.

Most Kenyans feel these prosecutions are vital in order to undermine the deeply rooted culture of impunity, our correspondent says.

The key question now is whether those accused will hand themselves over or be shielded by politicians and evade justice, he says. [BBC]

This news follows last month’s commencement of a court case against former Democratic Republic of Congo Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba in a welcome show of how the ICC is starting to make more of a mark in holding powerful politicians to account for allegations of serious crimes against humanity.