(CNN) -- The International Criminal Court on Thursday postponed the beginning of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta's trial on charges of crimes against humanity by three months to February 5, accepting a defense request for more preparation time.
The trial at the Netherlands-based ICC had been scheduled to begin on November 12. The prosecution agreed that certain issues raised by the defense merited further investigation, the court said.
Kenyatta was charged last year with five counts of crimes against humanity, stemming from violence that plagued a disputed Kenyan presidential election six years ago.
More than 1,000 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced when ethnic groups loyal to leading candidates in the December 2007 election torched homes and hacked rivals to death.
The ICC has also accused Deputy President William Ruto of orchestrating attacks. A third suspect, radio personality Joshua arap Sang, is being tried alongside Ruto on similar charges.
Kenyatta and Ruto have denied accusations that they coordinated violence among their respective ethnic groups after the disputed election.