From The Guardian

The international criminal court’s prosecutor has asked judges to postpone the trial of the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, to give her more time to collect evidence.

The development is a major setback to the court, which has seen a string of high-profile cases collapse, but it could help defuse tensions with Kenya and its African Union allies, who have long called for the charges to be dropped.

In a statement on Thursday, chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she could not proceed with the case after one witness asked to withdraw and another admitted to lying.

“Currently the case against Mr Kenyatta does not satisfy the high evidentiary standards required at trial,” she said.

Kenyatta, whose trial had been due to start on 5 February, is accused of stoking ethnic violence after Kenya’s 2007 elections, orchestrating clashes in which some 1,200 people died. His deputy and former rival William Ruto, who faces similar charges, went on trial in The Hague this year.

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