Prosecutor drops all charges against Kenya ' s
president after battling to gather enough evidence
to indict him .
The International Criminal Court has withdrawn
charges of crimes against humanity against
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Fatou Bensouda , ICC prosecutor , filed a three -
paragraph notice withdrawing the charges against
Kenyatta but added that she reserved the right to
file charges again should she get more evidence .
Frankly the victims have been trying to get justice
in kenya , and failed . They tried to get justice from
the ICC, and they failed. It is a sad day for them
Fengal Gaynor , lawyer
"The evidence has not improved to such an extent
that Mr Kenyatta' s alleged criminal responsibility
can be proven beyond reasonable
doubt, " Bensouda said on Friday in a document
filed at the Hague -based court.
Fergal Gaynor , the lawyer representing the victims,
told Al Jazeera the Kenyan government had done
their utmost to obstruct the case.
"Frankly the victims have been trying to get justice
in Kenya , and failed . They tried to get justice from
the ICC, and they failed. It is a sad day for them , "
he said .
Prosecutors have repeatedly complained that
Kenya has blocked their case
by not cooperating in their investigation . Judges at
the court this week also
said Kenya ' s cooperation "falls short of the
standard of good faith cooperation" .
In a written statement , Bensouda said the lack of
cooperation had a
"severe impact '' on the case.
"It has deprived the victims of their right to know
the full account of what transpired in 2007 -2008 , "
she said .
"It has further undermined my ability to carry out a
full investigation . And finally , it has prevented
the Judges from carrying out their critical
functions of assessing the evidence and
determining the truth. ''
The decision comes after his lawyer on
Wednesday called for the judges to drop the
charges and acquit his client while Kenyatta
himself said prosecutors had " nothing" on him.
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