Amnesty calls for inquiry into police killings

The human rights organisation Amnesty International on Friday, 27 July, called for a government inquiry into the alleged police execution of seven people “in cold blood” in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, last week. The police said there had been a shoot-out between officers and the suspected robbers, but this account was challenged by eyewitnesses who reported that the seven, forced off a public bus, were ordered to lie on the ground and then shot in the back by police officers, according to Amnesty. The police denied that the seven suspects were executed, saying that they had engaged in a shoot-out with police. Police Commissioner Philemon Abong’o said on 29 July the policemen were acting in self-defence, since the robbery suspects were armed and dangerous. [for more details, see full IRIN report of 30 July headlined: “KENYA: Amnesty lashes “cold-blooded executions”]