EU lauds ICC approval of Kenya unrest probe

(NAIROBI) - The European Union delegation in Kenya on Wednesday hailed the International Criminal Court's decision to allow a probe into the country's post election violence.

"This is an important step towards ending impunity in Kenya," the EU delegation said in a statement, and expressed concern over threats to witnesses to the post-poll clashes.

"The EU is seriously concerned by the harassment and intimidation of potential witnesses and the human rights defenders that are trying to assist them," it said in a statement.

"The government should clearly condemn such intimidation and take appropriate action in conjunction with the needs of the ICC during its investigation."

Kenya's state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) also welcomed the decision.

"The ruling by ICC today is a very important step towards justice for the victims of post election in Kenya. We are very excited about it," said Hassan Omar Hassan, the KNCHR deputy chief.

"It will go a long way in ending impunity in Kenya," he added.

The Hague-based court on Wednesday approved prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's request to launch investigation into the unrest that killed some 1,500 people and displaced hundreds of thousands others.

"The information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed on Kenyan territory," the court said.

The 2008 violence was the east Africa country's worst unrest since independence from Britain in 1963.