1 Million Signature Campaign in Support of ICC
On 22nd December 2010 Kenya’s Members of Parliament overwhelmingly voted to have our nation quit the International Criminal Court (ICC). Their rationale was that the decision by Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo to propose two cases for prosecution in this international court was an attack on our sovereignty and not in the best interests of Kenya.
At the same time all opinion polls conducted so far show that ordinary Kenyans support the ICC process, and discussions in all public spaces indicate that Kenyans do not support any move to scuttle this process. However, the Members of Parliament still insist that Kenya must withdraw from the ICC.
It is on this basis that we, the many Kenyans signed hereunder, have decided to categorically speak up for ourselves, and clearly state what we want.
We hereby very firmly state that we do not support the proposal by parliament to remove Kenya from the ICC, and that this is not our desire as the Kenyan MPs purport to represent in Parliament.
We take this stand for the following 5 main reasons:
1. The ICC prosecutions are our best chance of knowing the truth about the 2007 Post Election Violence (PEV).
2. The truth that will come out of the ICC prosecutions will effectively counter-balance the ever-increasing narratives of inter-ethnic grievance and mistrust that tend to be the basis on which political competition for Kenya’s state power has been conducted since the introduction of multi-party politics. This strategy led to the 1992, 1997 and 2007 PEV, and we cannot afford to go into another election without redress.
3. The ICC prosecutions set Kenya on the journey of seeking justice for the victims of all Post Election Violence to-date, because the prosecutions debunk the myth that there exists some Kenyans who are above the law. This is necessary in a democratic State especially if we are ever to locally prosecute other crimes linked to Post Election Violence in future.
4. Our current Justice system is not able, ready and/or willing to prosecute PEV perpetrators, as has clearly been shown by the fact that in three years since the 2007 PEV, we have not prosecuted a single perpetrator of the violence. In addition, the investigative and judicial systems to be established as required under the new constitution, and which could successfully prosecute cases of the magnitude currently at the ICC, will not be realized for several years.
5. The MPs have always overwhelmingly supported the ICC process and on two occasions refused to support the institution of a local tribunal as suggested by the Executive, stating ‘Do Not Be Vague, Go To The Hague’. It is therefore clear that the recent change of strategy to withdraw Kenya from the ICC is soley driven by the sudden realization that could adversely affect the political careers of some of them. This is self-serving and a slap in the face of millions of Kenyans who are today psychologically and/or physically traumatized by events during the 2007 PEV. Withdrawing Kenya from ICC is a disrespect to the memory of the over 1,300 Kenyans who died and an insult to the over 650,000 Kenyans who were rendered homeless in the process.
We admit that starting the process of seeking for justice for the 2007 PEV victims outside Kenya is not a first choice for many of us because of the embarrassing implication that our country is not yet fully capable and/or prepared to handle the issue. However, we also feel that in the present circumstances, we would rather face this embarrassment than the even bigger threat of a re-occurrence of the 2007 PEV, a re-occurrence that local and international observers of the Kenyan situation assure us would make the 2007 PEV look like a Sunday school children’s picnic.
We therefore state clearly, loudly and simply that ‘Kenya Cannot Get Out of The Rome Statute’, that we do not support the proposal by Members of the 10th Parliament to pull Kenya out of the ICC, and that our representatives in parliament must respect our wishes and stop any further attempts to pull Kenya out of the ICC.
Sign Petition today:
Signed by the Following Registered Voters of The Republic Of Kenya.
About the Author
The Kenyans case vs ICC Hague is real and Kenyan Government has nothing to change to what they signed for, it has to cooperate with ICC and hand the six over. It is open that whoever is trying to support those MPs campaigning to withdrew from Rome Statute Laws is one of the six named.It does not matter whether it be President or Vice President Kalonzo or any individuals will be seen to be guilty on that ofence.Which duties the VP Kalonzo Musyoka is telling us to make Ali and Muthura to be financed? Was he Kalonzo in their camp?
What are signatures for?
What about the future?
We are cowards and merciless if we cannot face the truth!How can we forget the IDPS, the dead ,orphans,homeless and the injured ones who are aftermath of Post Election Violence.
KSB: The signatures are a representation of a strong pro ICC position as opposed to that of hopeless MPs who want to pull Kenya out of the ICC. “We” have not forgotten about IDPs but getting Kenya out of ICC will be a step towards forgetting them because the move will reward perpetrators of impunity who created IDPs. If the Ocampo six are taken to the Hague it will be justice for IDPs so you better hurry up and sign the thing!
according to the latest opinion pools carried by info-trak 85% kenyans has given their Vews that the Six named dogs suffering with rabies must be taken to either hague or Guantamano and face the real and genuine justice .
KSB: Keep us updated about fresh opinion polls.
Watch this the so called Highest Impunity of the highest order .kenya bandits hiding in Police-uniforms executing (3)three poor jobless youth in a highway on a daylight, while thousands of people driving their cars couldnt interfine and run-over these few trygger-happy asassins in uniform. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Kenyan%20police%20execute%20three%20men%20point%20blank/-/1056/1092592/-/5mfsk4/-/index.html
I support the ICC all the way people lost so much in that period!
My mercedes went just imagine Mr.Ocampo, you better harry!!!!!!!
Father Dolan argues the pple of Kenya to sign upthis Petition>
We should never forget the power of protest
By GABRIEL DOLANPosted Friday, January 21 2011 at 17:54
One of my all time favourite movies is the 1968 classic The Shoes of the Fisherman. Based on the Morris West novel of the same title, it tells the story of a humble bishop elevated to the post of Roman pontiff.
The Pope has a constant fear of losing touch with the common people, so by night he frequently escapes in disguise away from Vatican security, curial bureaucrats and church handlers.
His interaction with the common folk on the Roman streets significantly influences his teaching and church policy.
Our political leaders would be well advised to sneak away from their mansions, personal security, press service, cronies and minders and ride on matatus, visit bars and hospital wards and listen to what Kenyans are saying about their stand on the Ocampo Six.
Currently, they seem completely out of touch with the mood of the nation.
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka is running around like a turn-boy-cum-spin-doctor shuttling across the continent seeking allies to scuttle the ICC process. His hyperactivity would be embarrassing if it were not so infuriating.
On the cases of Major-General (Rtd) Hussein Ali and Ambassador Francis Muthaura, Mr Kilonzo tells us that “the two men were working on behalf of the country ….we must stand by them.”
Is this an admission that the crimes of murder, rape, deportation and persecution during the post-election violence had government approval?
Or is he telling us that killings, rape and slaughter were done in our name? Not in my name and certainly not for the benefit of victims I met this week in Likoni.
They were enraged at the Vice-President’s remark that “the time for compensation and assistance to the victims will also come.”
Mr Kalonzo is telling us that the interests and defence of the Ocampo Six are far more important than the rights of the slain, dismembered, raped and displaced.
Perhaps the political class will get a rude awakening when the 1 million signatures in support of the ICC process are handed over. Maybe a helicopter should drop the volumes of names on the disgraced Parliament, whose ludicrous motion to withdraw from the ICC has really enraged the public.
The petition is just one important method to express our disapproval at the response to the ICC process. In 1880, Irish peasants under the leadership of the Land League withdrew labour, services, recognition and land rent from a settler named Captain Charles Boycott.
This social ostracism and non-violent protest quickly took a national dimension against agents of absentee landlords, who owned 70 per cent of the land while the indigenous were made subservient in their own country.
The protest was so successful that it gave us the English word “boycott”. Boycotting is still a powerful weapon of protest for we can express our censure in ways that most affect those whose actions we object to – through their pockets.
In 18 months’ time, we will have the power to vote out corrupt cartels, drug barons and warlords. Meanwhile, sign up the petition in support of the ICC and boycott the lords of impunity. Whoever said that the common folk are powerless?
gdolan54@gmail.com
Musyoka Kalonzo(VP) has beenexposed as a traitor who is waiting for the downfall of Ruto&Uhuru who very soon will be languishing in Hague cells> Uhuru described Kalonzo as a hyena>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi0cJVVbF9A&feature=player_embedded#!