Written question asked by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Monday, 10 January 2011.

Kenya

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Kenya and the International Criminal Court (ICC) about providing sufficient witness protection in the context of the ICC’s motion to indict several high-ranking Kenyan politicians for crimes against humanity.

Answer: Together with our EU and other international partners, we have regularly urged the Government of Kenya to provide sufficient witness protection, make clear their condemnation of witness intimidation and ensure that those suspected of intimidation face prosecution; we did so recently in a meeting with Kenya's Minister of Justice on 22 November and in an article published in the local media on 13 December. We support chief prosecutor Moreno Ocampo's statement on 15 December that he would seek to prosecute at the International Criminal Court anyone suspected of intimidating or bribing witnesses. The UK has contributed £200,000 to the International Criminal Court witness protection programme for Kenya. This funding underlines the UK’s commitment to a successful investigation in Kenya and the importance of protecting witnesses at risk.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 5429; 723 c403WA
Session: 2010-12
Subjects: Crimes against humanity Elections International Criminal Court Protection Witnesses Violence Kenya
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk