Three Kenyans appeared at the International Criminal Court today in connection with an outburst of violent unrest in which 1,200 people died after disputed elections in 2007.
Suspended government ministers William Ruto and Henry Kosgey and radio executive Joshua Arap Sang attended the court to hear charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible transfer and persecution.
After the proceedings opened, presiding judge Ekaterina Trendafilova asked all three accused to identify themselves to the court and asked whether they have been sufficiently informed of the allegations and their rights.
"Your honour, I have been sufficiently informed of these allegations and I even had occasion to pay a visit to the Office of the Prosecutor to ascertain the issues that are being raised and alleged against me," Mr Ruto told the court.
"I was, however, unsuccessful in getting details of these allegations against me. The allegations that have been made here ... could only be posed in a movie."
Later Mr Ruto added that for "an innocent person like me to be dragged all the way here is a matter that puzzles me".
The ICC has summonsed a total of six top political and government officials to appear in court over two days this week in connection with the 2007-08 violence.
More than 1,200 people died in the unrest, which badly damaged Kenya's reputation for stability in a turbulent region.
Outside the court, some 40 Kenyan members of the national parliament gathered to protest against the proceedings, singing and chanting prayers.
"We are opposed to ICC trials as we feel we are able to handle our cases and this is not right," said Mohamud Ali, a member of parliament for Moyale in the north of the country.
"We have had problems ... we have had our ups and downs and we know what happened. The best solution is a local solution."
Ali also said the proponents of the ICC trials were running for election in 2012 and had a vested interest in seeing the ICC trials going ahead.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is presenting two cases to the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, accusing both opposition and government officials of the time of instigating the violence.
In the second case, cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura, finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former police chief Hussein Ali are due to appear on Friday to hear charges of murder, forcible transfer, rape and persecution.
The judges set September 1st as the date for a hearing to confirm the charges and determine whether the suspects should be ordered to stand trial. The court also set a date of April 18th for a status hearing to discuss evidence disclosure.
Reuters