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ICC Prosecutor Seeks Halt to Kenyan President's Trial


President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta during the African Union Summit, Nairobi, Sept. 2, 2014.
President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta during the African Union Summit, Nairobi, Sept. 2, 2014.

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has asked judges to adjourn the trial of Kenya's president indefinitely, due to a lack of cooperation from the Kenyan government.

In a request to the court filed Friday, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said her office lacks the evidence to prove the charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is accused of masterminding deadly post-election violence in 2008.

Bensouda said her office would normally withdraw the charges but that such a move would be "inappropriate" because of Kenyatta's position and the Kenyan government's failure to provide documents requested by prosecutors.

The Kenyan leader's trial has been postponed repeatedly amid complaints from prosecutors that Kenya is hampering efforts to obtain evidence.

Kenyatta is facing charges of crimes against humanity, including counts of murder, rape and forcible transfer. Prosecutors say he helped to organize a campaign of ethnic violence after Kenya's disputed presidential election in December 2007.

More than 1,100 people were killed in the violence, with hundreds of thousands more displaced from their homes.

Kenyatta has denied any wrongdoing. Despite the charges, he was elected president in March 2013.

Deputy President William Ruto is currently on trial at the Hague for similar charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

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