THE HAGUE, Netherlands, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court issued a reminder Wednesday that revealing the identity of witness in a case against Kenyan leaders is a violation of the law.
The chief prosecutor in the case against Kenyan Vice President William Ruto and national broadcast director Joshua Sang warned of "possible sanctions" in response to witness protection issues.
The war crimes case against both men began last week at The Hague, Netherlands. Sang was characterized as the "voice of hate" during a post-election crisis that left more than 1,000 Kenyans dead in 2007. Prosecutors accused Ruto of turning to violence in an effort to consolidate his grip on power.
Both men issued not-guilty pleas last week.
Presiding Judge Chile Eboe-Osuju issued a statement Wednesday saying it was an "offense against the administration of justice in this court" to influence or retaliate against witnesses giving testimony in the case.
The court said it may impose a maximum five-year prison term or fines for such an offense.
Kenyan journalists and other members of the press were called on by the judge to "to desist from doing anything that would reveal or attempt to reveal the identity of protected witnesses or to engage in secondary dissemination of such wrongful and illegal information."
The BBC reported Wednesday a Kenyan newspaper published a photograph of a woman said to be a witness in the cases.
