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Tons of of individuals have joined protests over the loss of life in police custody of political blogger Albert Ojwang.
A Kenyan police officer has been arrested in reference to the loss of life of Albert Ojwang, a political blogger who died in police custody, in a case that has reignited anger over police abuse and triggered road protests in Nairobi.
Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri stated on Friday {that a} constable had been taken into custody, the AFP information company reported.
He didn’t give additional data, referring queries to the Impartial Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which is main the investigation. There was no instant remark from the IPOA.
Ojwang, 31, was declared useless on Sunday, two days after his arrest within the city of Homa Bay in western Kenya for allegedly criticising the nation’s deputy police chief Eliud Lagat.
The police initially claimed Ojwang fatally injured himself by banging his head in opposition to a cell wall, however an post-mortem revealed accidents that pathologists stated had been “unlikely to be self-inflicted”.
The federal government’s personal pathologist discovered indicators of blunt drive trauma, neck compression and delicate tissue accidents, suggesting an assault. Impartial pathologist Bernard Midia, who assisted with the autopsy, additionally dominated out suicide.
Amid rising stress, President William Ruto on Wednesday stated Ojwang had died “by the hands of the police”, reversing earlier official accounts of his loss of life.
The incident has added gasoline to longstanding allegations of police brutality and extrajudicial killings in Kenya, significantly following final yr’s antigovernment demonstrations. Rights teams say dozens had been unlawfully detained after the protests, with some nonetheless unaccounted for.
Earlier this week, 5 officers had been suspended to permit for what the police described as a “clear” inquiry.
On Thursday, protesters flooded the streets of the capital, waving Kenyan flags and chanting “Lagat should go”, demanding the resignation of the senior police official Ojwang had criticised.
Ruto on Friday pledged swift motion and stated that his administration would “shield residents from rogue cops”. Whereas Ruto has repeatedly promised to finish enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, human rights teams accuse his authorities of defending safety businesses from accountability.
In keeping with IPOA, 20 individuals have died in police custody in simply the previous 4 months. The loss of life of Ojwang, a vocal on-line critic, has develop into a logo of rising public frustration with unchecked police energy.
Worldwide stress is mounting, with each the USA and European Union calling for a clear and impartial investigation into Ojwang’s loss of life.
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