Kenya

Geneva Conventions Act - Chapter 198

4. Notice of trial

(1) The court before which—

(a) a protected prisoner of war is brought up for trial for an offence; or
(b) a protected internee is brought up for trial for an offence for which that court has power to sentence him to death or to imprisonment for a term of at least two years,
shall not proceed with the trial unless it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that a notice containing the particulars mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, so far as they are known to the prosecutor, has been served not less than three weeks previously on the protecting power and, if the accused is a protected prisoner of war, on the accused and the prisoner’s representative.

(2) The particulars referred to in subsection (1) of this section are—

(a) the full name and description of the accused, including the date of his birth and his profession or trade, if any, and, if the accused is a protected prisoner of war, his rank and army, regimental, personal or serial number;
(b) his place of detention, internment or residence;
(c) the offence with which he is charged; and
(d) the court before which the trial is to take place and the time and place appointed for the trial.

(3) For the purposes of this section, a document purporting—

(a) to be signed on behalf of the protecting power or by the prisoner’s representative or by the person accused, as the case may be; and
(b) to be an acknowledgment of the receipt by that power, representative or person on a specified day of a notice described therein as a notice under this section,
shall, until the contrary is proved, be sufficient evidence that the notice required by subsection (1) of this section was served on that power, representative or person on that day.

(4) Any court which adjourns a trial for the purpose of enabling the requirements of this section to be complied with may, notwithstanding any other written law, remand the accused for the period of the adjournment.


5. Legal Representation

(1) The court before which—

(a) any person is brought up for trial for an offence under section 3 of this Act; or
(b) a protected prisoner of war is brought up for trial for any offence, shall not proceed with the trial, unless—
(i) the accused is represented by an advocate; and
(ii) it is proved to the satisfaction of the court that a period of not less than fourteen days has elapsed since instructions for the representation of the accused at the trial were first given to the advocate,
and, if the court adjourns the trial for the purpose of enabling the requirements of this subsection to be complied with, the court may, notwithstanding any other written law, remand the accused for the period of the adjournment.

(2) Where the accused is a protected prisoner of war, and there is no advocate accepted by the accused as representing him, an advocate instructed for the purpose on behalf of the protecting power shall, without prejudice to the requirements of paragraph (ii) of subsection (1) of this section, be regarded for the purposes of that subsection as representing the accused.

(3) Where the court adjourns the trial in pursuance of subsection (1) of this section because the accused is not represented by an advocate, the court shall direct that an advocate be assigned to watch over the interests of the accused at any further proceedings in connexion with the offence.

(4) At any such further proceedings, if there is no advocate accepted by the accused as representing him or instructed in pursuance of subsection (2) of this section, an advocate assigned in pursuance of subsection (3) of this section shall, without prejudice to the requirements of paragraph (ii) of subsection (1) of this section, be regarded for the purposes of that subsection as representing the accused.

(5) An advocate shall be assigned in pursuance of subsection (3) of this section in such manner as may be prescribed by the Minister, by notice in the Gazette, and any advocate so assigned shall be entitled to be paid by Minister, out of moneys provided by Parliament such sums in respect of fees and disbursements as the Minister may direct.


6. Appeals

Where a protected prisoner of war or a protected internee has been sentenced to death or to imprisonment for a term of two years or more, the time within which he may give notice of appeal or notice of his application for leave to appeal to the High Court or the Court of Appeal, as the case may be, shall notwithstanding any written law, be the period from the date of his conviction or, in the case of an appeal against sentence, of his sentence, to the expiration of ten days after the date on which he receives a notice given—
(a) in the case of a protected prisoner of war, by an officer of the armed forces;
(b) in the case of a protected internee, by or on behalf of the superintendent of the prison in which he is confined,
that the protecting power has been notified of his conviction and sentence.


7. Reduction of sentence, and custody

(1) It shall be lawful for the Minister in any case in which a protected prisoner of war or a protected internee is convicted of an offence and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, to direct that there shall be deducted from that term a period not exceeding the period, if any, during which that person was in custody in connexion with that offence, either on remand or after committal for trial, including the period of the trial, before the sentence began or is deemed to have begun to run.

(2) It shall be lawful for the Minister in a case where he is satisfied that a protected prisoner of war accused of an offence has been in custody in connexion with that offence, either on remand or after committal for trial, including the period of trial, for an aggregate period of not less than three months, to direct that the prisoner shall be transferred from that custody to the custody of an officer of the armed forces and thereafter remain in service custody at a camp or place in which protected prisoners of war are detained and be brought before the court at the time appointed by the remand or committal order.

Keywords

Fair trial standards



EDIT.