Kenya's William Ruto trial:
'Church victim' testifies at ICC
The first
prosecution witness is giving evidence at Kenyan Deputy President William
Ruto's trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mr Ruto
has been charged with crimes against humanity, following allegations that he
orchestrated violence after disputed elections in 2007.
Mr Ruto,
the first serving official to appear at the ICC, denies the charge.
The court
ruled the witness's identity, an alleged survivor of a church arson attack,
should not be revealed.
The door
[to the church] was barricaded with bicycles, and we were all trying to escape.
I threw my child out of the window”
Witness
536
This was
for her own safety and she will be known by the number 536.
She is
giving evidence from behind a curtain - on the court video her image is
pixelated and voice distorted.
Mr Ruto
is watching on her left, but she is hidden from him.
Chief
prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has previously said that witnesses have been intimidated
in an attempt to prevent them from giving evidence.
Kenya's
President Uhuru Kenyatta is due to stand trial in November. He also denies
charges of fuelling violence after the 2007 election.
Some
1,200 people were killed and 600,000 forced from their homes in weeks of
violence after the election.
More than
40,000 people are estimated to be still living in camps, which Mr Kenyatta has
promised to close by 20 September.
He and Mr
Ruto were on opposite sides during the 2007 election, but formed an alliance to
win elections in March this year.
Analysts
believe the ICC charges bolstered their campaign, as many Kenyans accused the
court of interfering in Kenya's domestic affairs.
'Machetes'
Prosecutor
Anton Steynberg told the court that "22 victims and witnesses, common
Kenyan people, who will describe the attacks" would be called to testify
in Mr Ruto's trial, Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reports.
Mr Ruto
is being charged alongside journalist Joshua arap Sang.
He is the
head of a Kalenjin-language radio station and is accused of whipping up ethnic
hatred - a charge he denies.
The first
witness was a victim of an arson attack on New Year's Day 2008 on the Kiambaa
Church in Kenya's Rift Valley, one of the areas worst-affected by the violence.
A mob set
ablaze the church where people were taking refuge, burning 36 people beyond
recognition, correspondents say.
The
witness, a member of the Kikuyu ethnic group, told the court that thousands of
people surged towards the church, chanting, their faces disguised with white
clay, many wearing cloths and bandanas.
They were
armed with traditional weapons, machetes, axes and sticks, she said.
She was
among hundreds of people who had earlier fled to the church, with mattresses
and blankets, after members of the rival Kalenjin ethnic group warned of
consequences if they did not vote for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the
woman said.
Mr Ruto
was at the time a member of the ODM, led by Raila Odinga who later became prime
minister in the unity government that followed the violence.
Anna
Holligan explains why William Ruto is in court, in 60 seconds
"The
door [to the church] was barricaded with bicycles, and we were all trying to
escape. I threw my child out of the window," Reuters news agency quotes
the witness as saying.
"When
somebody tried to leave the church, they would grab the person and push them
back inside," she said, the AFP news agency reports.
The
violence erupted after the ODM said it had been robbed of victory
It then
took ethnic overtones, with Kenya's main groups - especially Kikuyus and
Kalenjins - involved in attacks and reprisal attacks.
When Mr
Ruto appeared in court last week, Ms Bensouda accused him of forming an
"army" of Kalenjin youth to fight for power.
Mr Ruto's
defence lawyer, Karim Khan, accused the prosecution of building its case on
"a conspiracy of lies".
Source: BBC
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