Amnesty lashes “cold-blooded executions”

The human rights organisation Amnesty International on 27 July joined a local chorus of condemnation of the roadside killing of seven suspected robbers by police officers in the capital, Nairobi, on 25 July. The Amnesty report is headlined “Police execute seven in cold blood”.

The police said there had been a shoot-out between an elite squad of police officers and the suspected robbers on Mombasa Road, Nairobi, but this account has been challenged by a number of eyewitnesses, according to Amnesty. Many witnesses reported that seven detainees, forced out of a public bus by a police anti-theft squad, were ordered to lie on the ground and then shot in the back by police officers, it added.

The shooting has brought a storm of protest in the Kenyan media, with church leaders and civil rights groups accusing police of brutality and the use of excessive force.

The police denied that the seven suspects were executed, saying that they had engaged in a shoot-out with police while on their way to commit a robbery. The Deputy Provincial Police Officer for Nairobi, Bernard Kimeli, told journalists that eyewitness accounts were not conclusive, and that the Divisional Criminal Investigations Office of the police had already been instructed to investigate the killings.

Police Commissioner Philemon Abong’o said on 29 July the policemen were acting in self-defence, since the robbery suspects were dangerous, the ‘Daily Nation’ reported on Monday. “My officers acted swiftly because the suspects were armed,” it quoted him as saying.

According to Amnesty International, however, “the killing of the alleged robbers by the police is yet another indication of the authorities’ disregard for the human rights of Kenyans”. The lack of impartial and independent investigations into similar cases had only reinforced the view that the government actively condoned excessive use of force by the police, it stated.

Over recent years, Amnesty [http://www.amnesty.org] has documented numerous cases of allegedly excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings by the Kenyan police. It has also made numerous calls on the Kenyan authorities to ensure that the rule of law is upheld and that those who use excessive force are held accountable and brought to justice.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission on 29 July alleged that the police force had executed 1,119 people in the past six years, the ‘Daily Nation’ reported on Monday. “The problem that we have in Kenya is that police investigate and even prosecute cases against themselves,” it quoted Mikena Ogeda and Caleb Atemi of the Commission as saying. “In the absence of an independent investigator, Kenyans can expect very little justice,” they added.

In its report, “Kenya: Ending the Cycle of Impunity”, in June, Amnesty International said torture continued to be practised by the Kenya police force because of lack of effective action by the government. Amnesty has also issued press releases this year expressing concern that tear gas and batons are being used to “stifle political debate” in Kenya, and referring to an “escalating crackdown on freedom of expression”.

“The government has the duty and obligation to uphold both domestic and international legislation in order to protect its citizens from torture and extrajudicial executions,” it stated on Monday.

Meanwhile, on 27 July, police shot dead a 16 year-old student when they moved in to quell violence between supporters of rival political parties in the run-up to a parliamentary by-election in Taveta, southeastern Kenya, according to national radio.

Jackson Mwalulu of the opposition Democratic Party took the seat from the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) in an election marred by violence between KANU supporters and those of Ford-Kenya’s Dr Naomi Shabaan. The campaign grew violent in Taveta within the last week, according to media reports.