Sigh of relief for Ocampo Six

Written by Evelyn Kwamboka - Standard Media

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has lost another attempt to delay disclosure of evidence to the six Kenyans he wants tried for crimes against humanity.

Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova, in what must be a relief for the Ocampo Six, argued the court expects the Prosecutor to have already conducted a preliminary risk assessment in relation to witnesses on whom he intends to rely on for the purposes of the confirmation hearing.

The prosecutor had claimed that releasing the evidence would expose his witnesses to risk. "Furthermore, in case of changes of circumstances that make redactions (editing of sensitive parts of a document before release) previously authorised no longer necessary or proportionate, such redactions can be lifted by the Chamber on its own motion or upon requests of the parties," the judge ruled.

The rejection of the application yesterday becomes part of several losses he has faced before Pre-Trial Chamber II as he sought to block defence teams for the six suspects from accessing his cache of evidence in line with the court