A society of Christians has filed an unprecedented case in Kenya seeking a constitutional interpretation of the trial, sentencing and punishment or death of Jesus Christ.

On August 29, 2007, the Friends of Jesus, acting through Mr Dola Indidis, a Christian, lawyer and also the spokesman for the Judiciary, filed a petition in the Constitutional Court in Nairobi against the States of Italy and Israel and a host of characters featured in biblical accounts of the events leading to Jesus’ crucifixion.

Among the respondents listed are Tiberius, the Emperor of Rome at the time; Pontius Pilate, the Governor of Judea; the Jewish Chief Priest; Jewish Elders; Jewish Teachers of the Law and King Herod. The Kenya Civil Liberties Union has joined the proceedings as amicus curiae (friend of the court).

Certificate of urgency

The advocate for the plaintiff, Michael Chemwok from Chemwok & Co Advocates, Nairobi, filed a certificate of urgency on August 30 in the Constitutional Court.

He justified the urgency of the matter by arguing that the application seeks to challenge the abuses used in criminal prosecutions. He also seeks to show that the origin of these abuses, which if unresolved to date, undermine the propriety and dignity of courts worldwide and condone, without redress, malicious prosecution and judicial misconduct in the trial, conviction and sentencing of Jesus Christ as portrayed in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Holy Bible, the Holy Torah and/or existing Roman laws.

The Petitioners are challenging the mode of questioning used during the trial, prosecution, hearing and sentencing of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the form of punishment meted out against him and the substance of the information used to convict him. They also challenge the law that was used to convict him and claim that the trial was a nullity in law because all proceedings in the Roman Courts in 42 BC-37 AD “did not conform to the rule at the material time”.

Urgency of petition

The urgency of the petition is founded on the need to establish that a wrong was meted out to Jesus Christ of Nazareth and address it since it is an issue of utmost importance to all Christians and which has sparked a fervent religious debate in and outside of the country. They add that it is also an issue that affects all courts, parliaments and sanctifiable places where the Bible is sworn by.

The petitioner applied for a constitutional redress of the judicial misconduct, malicious prosecution, abuse of office, fabrication of evidence and human rights abuses during the trial, prosecution, hearing and sentence of Jesus through a three judge bench, and requested that the Republic of Italy and the State of Israel be served through their respective consuls and ambassadors to Kenya.

They added that these groups were being cited in these proceedings for their failure to intercede and correct these matters, and for their incorporation of the laws from the Roman Empire, laws which were applied during the trial of Jesus, into their current laws.

The petitioners request that in the alternative, all documentation be forwarded to the International Criminal Courts registry for their determination under the Roman Statutes.

The records of the Bible have stood for more than 2007 years.