William Ruto's trial began in The Hague on 10 September
Deputy
Kenyan President William Ruto is soon to find out whether he will be
allowed to miss large portions of his trial for crimes against humanity
at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mr Ruto is accused of being responsible for post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 - charges he denies.
His lawyers argue that he cannot leave Kenya in the aftermath of last month's attack at the Westgate shopping centre.
At least 67 people, were killed after Islamist militants stormed the complex.
Last week the court told Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta that
he did not need not to attend all of his trial on charges of crimes
against humanity, and that he was only required to be present at certain
key parts of the case.
Mr Kenyatta argued that attending the trial in The Hague would prevent him from governing the country.
The BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague says that Mr Ruto, Mr
Kenyatta and journalist Joshua Sang comprise the "Big Three" accused of
instigating and co-ordinating the post-election killings in which
innocent people including women and children were shot and hacked to
death.
An estimated 1,200 people were killed in the ethnic bloodshed and about 600,000 fled their homes.
But our correspondent says that was six years ago, and today
Kenya is on the frontline of the battle against the global threat posed
by al-Qaeda and its global affiliates.
Experts have warned that if the ICC fails
to keep the trial afloat, its role in holding the most powerful to
account could be undermined
Mr Ruto's trial began in September. He too was granted an
exemption from attending parts of his trial, but the prosecution lodged
an appeal against that decision, which is currently suspended.
The defence says that his "strong leadership" is required to counter terrorism.
The deputy president is the first serving government official to stand trial in an international court.
Many experts in international law believe that case reflects
the apparently incompatible demands of historical restorative justice
versus future global security.
Mr Ruto says that he is happy for the trial to continue in his absence and that he wants the opportunity to clear his name.
The Kenyan government has sent a letter to the UN Security
Council, asking the permanent members to force the ICC to defer the
trial for 12 months, something that is within their powers.
Experts believe that the ICC is now in an impossible
position, fighting against the tide of international pressure to placate
the government in Nairobi.
They warn that if the ICC fails to keep the trial afloat, it
could undermine the whole premise upon which the world's first permanent
international court is built - to hold the most powerful to account.
SOURCE: BBC
