The International Criminal Court terminated the case against Kenya’s deputy president and ended his trial Tuesday, saying there was insufficient evidence he was involved in deadly violence that erupted after his country’s 2007 presidential election.
The presiding judge wrote in the majority decision that the reason for the lack of evidence was possibly “witness interference and political meddling.”
The announcement marks the second time the court has had to admit defeat in its attempts to prosecute the alleged ringleaders of the violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and forced 600,000 from their homes in Kenya.
Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto had been charged alongside broadcaster Joshua Sang with murder, deportation and persecution for their alleged leading roles in the violence. The case against Sang was also closed Tuesday.
Supporters of the men cheered the decision, while human rights activists lamented that the victims of the violence had been denied justice.
Local TV in Kenya showed both men waving their arms in the air in celebration and being hugged by Ruto’s staff.