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Kenya: six police officers charged with murder after the death of two brothers

2021-09-02T14:03:52.645Z


Six Kenyan police officers were charged with murder Thursday, September 2 for the death of two brothers, who died after their arrest on August 1 in ...


Six Kenyan police officers were charged with murder Thursday, September 2 for the death of two brothers, who died after their arrest on August 1 in the center of the country for violating the curfew in force against Covid-19.

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The death of Emmanuel Mutura Ndwiga and Benson Njiru Ndwiga, aged 19 and 22, respectively, sparked outrage in the country and gave rise to demonstrations, sometimes violent, denouncing police brutality.

The six police officers, four men and two women, pleaded not guilty when they appeared in court in Nairobi on Thursday.

They will remain in detention until their parole application is considered on September 22.

Demonstrations after their deaths

The Ndwiga brothers were last seen alive on the first Sunday in August, when they were arrested by police for allegedly violating the country's curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Their bodies were found two days later by family members at the local morgue, rights groups said.

Police in Embu (center) said the two young men jumped from a moving vehicle, a claim categorically rejected by relatives of the two victims.

Their deaths sparked protests, particularly in Embu County, during which a police vehicle was set on fire.

At least one person died after police opened fire to disperse the protesters.

25 suspicious deaths linked to Covid-19 measures

Rights groups have denounced what they describe as a "

twin pandemic

" of police violence in Kenya, which accompanied the national curfew against Covid-19 instituted in March 2020 and regularly renewed since.

We unfortunately note that this is not the first death resulting from the police application of measures against Covid-19,

” said the Working Group on Police Reforms, a coalition of civil society groups.

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In total, 25 suspicious deaths linked to Covid-19 measures have been identified, according to a press release from these organizations. In mid-August, police announced they were opening an investigation into the death of a 38-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, who was allegedly beaten to death by police for breaking the curfew. The discovery of his body in the Kayole neighborhood in eastern Nairobi also sparked violent protests, with roads blocked by fires and looting of shops.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-09-02

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