The Kass FM presenter said he will pursue his own defence at the court /FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 3 – Radio presenter Joshua arap Sang has declared he will fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement on Monday, he said he will continue collaborating with the court like he has done since he was accused as an indirect co-perpetrator of the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya.
“I remain committed to cooperate with the court as I have done all along. I dissociate myself from any postures, actual or fictional, to the effect that suspects, particularly I, have any intention not to co-operate with the court,” he asserted.
The Kass FM presenter said he will pursue his own defence at the court since his case is different from the rest of the co-accused: “My case is different from that of other suspects. I am the only one charged with count of ‘contribution’. Further, of all the suspects, I am the only one who is neither a public official nor servant.”
Sang further urged Kenyans to refrain from assumptions that he is getting support from the government, making it clear that he is not a State official.
He said at no time had the government extended any help to him since he became a subject of the Hague-based court.
“In case there have been any consultations at government level, the same have never included me and I have never received any invitation so far. I have personally not discussed what I propose to do in my defence in regard to my case with either the Attorney General, or government, or co-suspects on aspects including co-operation with ICC,” he insisted.
He said he was dismayed by media reports that allegedly implied that government’s efforts to frustrate the ICC cases also considered him.
The government and close allies of Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta have made several attempts to salvage the accused from the Hague process, first witnessed in its admissibility challenge which was rejected even at level of the Appeals chamber.
Recently some of Kenyatta’s allies asked the accused not to turn up for the trials. They had also suggested that they would collect two million signatures in a bid to postpone the ICC trials.
But ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdalla dismissed such a move, saying only parties in the case which include the prosecution, the victims and the accused can apply before the court to have suspension of the trial.
Sang asked Kenyans to separate his name from any of the attempts, insisting that he is an individual capable of making his own choices.
“I remain abundantly my very self, with my own thoughts and designs for my defence. I have not ceded myself away, I am not sorry for being myself, and I have confidence in my own motivation, dedication, commitments, mindset, reactions and convictions. Therefore for as long as I have not made my position categorically, none should be attributed to me. The media should therefore attribute to me only what I have said explicitly or through my counsel,” he insisted.
He said it was unfortunate that his charges were confirmed and one of his appeals challenging the decision by the Pre Trail Chamber had failed.
Like the rest of the suspects, the Appeals Chamber is to rule on their appeal challenging jurisdiction. However, the trials are set to begin following the constitution of a Trial Chamber to try Sang, Eldoret North MP William Ruto, Kenyatta and former head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura.
Sang who is the first journalist in Kenya to be investigated by the ICC is accused of contributing to crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and forcible transfer of population.
The ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo had indicted six Kenyans but charges against Tindret MP Henry Kosgey and former Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, were dropped after the Pre-Trial Chamber II found that the prosecutor’s case failed to satisfy the evidentiary threshold required and his charges against the two were rejected on January 23.
Cases against Kenyatta, Muthaura, Ruto and Sang were however confirmed.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment