High-profile Kenyan activist faces terror charges over anti-government protests
On Sunday, investigators said they had seized phones, a laptop, and notebooks from Mr Mwangi's Lukenya home on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, and hard drives, computers, tear gas canisters and a blank firearm round from his office in the city.
His arrest has sparked a wave of condemnation, with human rights groups denouncing it was aimed at suppressing opposition voices.
The activist has denied the accusations, saying in a post on X: "I am not a terrorist."
According to the Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mr Mwangi stands accused of "offences related to facilitation of terrorist acts and unlawful possession of ammunition".
The alleged offences are linked to the 25 June protests when, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 19 people died as demonstrators clashed with police. Hundreds were also injured and property and businesses were damaged.
In the aftermath, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen described the demonstrations as "terrorism disguised as dissent" and an "unconstitutional attempt" to change the government.
At least 38 more people were killed in subsequent protests earlier this month, the KNHCR has said.
Since June last year, more than 100 people have been killed in successive waves of anti-government protests, with police accused of using excessive force to quell unrest.
On Sunday, a coalition of 37 rights organisations condemned Mr Mwangi's arrest on "unjustified terrorism allegations", describing it as the "latest escalation in a systematic crackdown that has seen hundreds of young Kenyans detained on fabricated terrorism charges".
"What began as targeted persecution of young protesters demanding accountability has metastasized into a full-scale assault on Kenya's democracy," they said in a joint statement.
James Orengo, a veteran politician and governor of Siaya county, said it was "ridiculous to charge Boniface Mwangi and our children who have demonstrated a high level of political consciousness with terrorism".
Mr Mwangi has been detained multiple times in the past, and has been at the centre of many protests.
In May, he and a Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania, where they had travelled to attend the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is accused of treason.
Following their release several days later, both said they had been abducted, tortured and sexually assaulted. They have since filed a case at the regional East African Court of Justice over the matter.
You may also be interested in:
Is William Ruto the most disliked president in Kenya's history?
Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
'Shoot in the leg' - Kenyan leader orders police to curb violent protests
Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC Africa podcasts
Focus on Africa
This Is Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
17 minutes ago
- News24
Violence erupts in Luanda as govt phases out fuel subsidies; taxi fares up 50%
Unrest broke out on the streets of Angola's capital as transport workers began a three-day strike to protest against surging fuel prices. Videos posted on social media showed scenes of shops being looted, garbage bins being used to set up street blockades and tires being burnt on the outskirts of Luanda on Monday. Protesters also forced public buses to unload passengers and attacked non-striking drivers. Luanda's provincial government condemned 'all acts of vandalism, assaults on workers, destruction of public and private property, and any form of coercion against citizens seeking to carry out their activities freely,' according to a statement. The higher prices have been triggered by the Angolan government phasing out fuel subsidies in a bid to cut spending. The allocations cost Angola about $3 billion last year — about the same as its total health and education spending, according to the International Monetary Fund. Taxi fares have increased by as much as 50% this month to accommodate the increased fuel costs. On Saturday, hundreds of people took to the streets in Luanda to protest against the country's rising cost of living. Annual inflation currently stands at about 20%. Videos on social media earlier showed long lines of commuters after informal operators halted services. Their blue-and-white vans are essential to getting around the city, which lacks functioning public transportation. The National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola said on Facebook the decision to strike was prompted by the daily hardships faced by thousands of its drivers. A decision to cut petrol subsidies in 2023 triggered violent protests in the central Angolan city of Huambo, where clashes between taxi drivers and the police left five people dead.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US urges UN Security Council to adjust sanctions on Syria
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United States urged the United Nations Security Council on Monday to adjust its sanctions on Syria to help the country's government prevail in what the acting U.S. ambassador described as "the fight against terrorism." After 13 years of civil war, Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December in a lightning offensive by insurgent forces led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Formerly known as the Nusra Front, HTS was al Qaeda's official wing in Syria until breaking ties in 2016. Since May 2014, the group has been on the United Nations Security Council's al Qaeda and Islamic State sanctions list and subjected to a global asset freeze and arms embargo. A number of HTS members are also under U.N. sanctions - a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo - including its leader, Ahmed Sharaa, who is now Syria's interim president. The United States is working with Security Council members to review Syria-related sanctions, acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea said on Monday. "The Syrian government has made a clear commitment to combat al Qaeda and ISIL (Islamic State), and both groups are equally clear that they oppose the new government and are threatening to destroy it. Council members should not take those threats lightly," she told a Security Council meeting on Syria. "The Council can – and must – adjust its sanctions so the Syrian government can prevail in the fight against terrorism, while keeping the most dangerous and unrepentant actors designated," she said. U.S. President Donald Trump announced a major U.S. policy shift in May when he said he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria. United Nations sanctions monitors have seen no "active ties" this year between al Qaeda and the Islamist group leading Syria's interim government, according to an unpublished U.N. report, a finding that could strengthen the U.S. push to ease some U.N. sanctions on Syria. Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
A new law in Benin grants citizenship to slave descendants. Ciara is among the first
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — U.S. singer Ciara is one of the first public figures to become a citizen of Benin under a recent law by the small West African country granting citizenship to descendants of slaves. The Grammy-winning performer's acquisition of citizenship at a ceremony Saturday in the city of Cotonou is part of a broader initiative by Benin to attract the Black diaspora, acknowledge the country's role in the transatlantic slave trade, and promote tourism focused on slavery-related sites of remembrance. 'By legally recognizing these children of Africa, Benin is healing a historical wound. It is an act of justice, but also one of belonging and hope,' Justice Minister Yvon Détchénou said at the ceremony. Here's what to know about Benin's efforts to welcome slave descendants: Benin's afro-descendant citizenship law In September, Benin passed a law granting citizenship to those who can trace their lineage to the slave trade. It is open to anyone above 18 who doesn't already hold other African citizenship and can provide proof that an ancestor was deported via the slave trade from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Beninese authorities accept DNA tests, authenticated testimonies and family records. Last week, the government launched My Afro Origins, the digital platform that processes applications. While Benin is not the first country to grant citizenship to descendants of slaves, its citizenship law carries added significance, in part because of the role it played in the transatlantic slave trade. A national reckoning with its role in the slave trade. European merchants deported an estimated 1.5 million enslaved people from the Bight of Benin — a region that includes present-day Benin, Togo and parts of Nigeria — to the Americas. Beninese kings actively participated in capturing and selling slaves to Portuguese, French, and British merchants. The former kingdoms and the communities they raided still exist today as tribal networks. Benin has long been working to reconcile with its legacy of complicity. It has openly acknowledged its role in the slave trade, a stance not shared by many other African nations that participated. In the 1990s, it hosted an international conference to examine how and where slaves were sold. In 1999, then-President Mathieu Kérékou apologized to African Americans during a visit to a church in Baltimore. 'Memorial tourism' Alongside this national reckoning, 'memorial tourism' around the legacy of the slave trade has become a key approach of Benin's government to attract afro-descendants. Memorial sites are mostly in Ouidah, one of Africa's most active slave-trading ports in the 18th and 19th centuries. They include the Slave Route, which was the path marking slaves' final journey to ships, and the Door of No Return, a haunting doorway that opens to the Atlantic Ocean where they left Africa, and their families, for the last time. Sindé Chekete, the head of Benin's state-run tourism agency, said these sites give afro-descendants the opportunity to learn about and honor the struggles and resilience of their ancestors. 'It may inspire some people to say 'I want to return to Africa and choose Benin to understand this history',' Chekete said. Following her citizenship ceremony, Ciara toured the historic city, where she walked the Slave Route to the Door of No Return. 'Between emotion, reflection, and heritage, I experienced a profound return to what truly matters,' she said.
