VOA标准英语10月-Kenya Commission Recommends Tribunal for Post-Ele（在线收听）
The commission of inquiry, headed by Justice Philip Waki, was created on the recommendation of the Panel of Eminant African Personalities led by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan that helped mediate a power-sharing agreement between Kenya's ruling party and opposition in February.
That deal followed a wave of political and ethnic violence set off by disputed presidential elections in late December. After three months of hearings throughout the country, the commission released a 500-page report documenting the violence and its causes.
Waki said the central recommendation of the commission is the establishment of a special tribunal, composed of Kenyan and international judges, to try those suspected of the greatest involvement in the violence.
He added, "The special tribunal will be known as the Special Tribunal for Kenya. And it will be set up as a court which will sit within the territorial boundaries of Kenya and it will seek accountability against persons bearing the greatest responsibility for crimes - particularly crimes against humanity - relating to the 2007 general election. We want the tribunal to be self contained in terms of acquiring its own investigative staff, locally and internationally," Waki said.
According to deadlines included in the report, the tribunal should be set up within roughly four-and-a-half months. The commission said that if the tribunal is not established according to schedule or if it fails to serve its intended purpose, the commission will forward the names of suspects to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Notably absent from the report is any mention of names. Waki said the commission has evidence of involvement by prominent politicians, government officials, and businessmen. But until the tribunal is established the names of suspects will not be revealed.
Waki added, "We believe the commission's evidence forms a very firm basis for further investigations of alleged perpetrators, especially concerning those who bore the greatest responsibility for the post-election violence. In the nature of things, the premature disclosure of such evidence, and those it relates to exposes it to possible sabotage or other adulteration before investigators have an opportunity to assess it."
The commission is scheduled to deliver a sealed envelope containing the names to Annan on Friday.
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| A supporter of Kenya's Opposition leader Raila Odinga taunts a Kenyan policeman during a demonstration in Kisumu, Kenya, 16 Jan 2008 |
According to the commission, 1,133 people were killed in the violence between the election on December 27, and the end of February. That is considerably more than the roughly 600 deaths described by Kenyan police, though fewer than some estimates by nongovernmental organizations who have put the figure as high as 1,500.
Much of the violence was motivated by ethnic grievances, the commission found, with some of the attacks planned ahead of time and some erupting spontaneously.
The commission also found that roughly 400 of the victims were killed as a result of gunshot wounds. And since much of the violence carried out by protesters or tribal gangs did not use firearms, the commission said, most of these victims were likely shot by police officers. The commission found no evidence of a shoot-to-kill order, but Waki said there was reckless use of violence by the police that should be just as troubling.
A separate commission, headed by South African Judge Johann Kriegler, was established to investigate the conduct of the 2007 election. That commission's report, released last month, urged an overhaul of the country's electoral commission. Kenya's cabinet said Tuesday it would implement the commission's recommendations.