Boniface Mwangi: Kenyan activist faces terrorism charges over protests
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 protestsAre 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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Acquaintance of suspect in Taylor Swift concert plot convicted at trial in Austria
An Austrian court on Friday convicted an acquaintance of the main suspect in last year's foiled plan to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna on terrorism charges unrelated to the plot and sentenced him to two years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt convicted the 18-year-old defendant, whose name was given only as Luca K. in line with local privacy rules, of involvement with a terrorist organization and criminal organization, the Austria Press Agency reported. He largely admitted to the accusations, which included sharing propaganda of the Islamic State group and glorifying an IS sympathizer who killed four people in Vienna in 2020. The suspect, who converted to Islam in 2022, was arrested shortly before the planned Swift concerts in August last year but was not charged with involvement in the plot. Defense lawyer Michael Dorn said he wasn't the closest friend of Beran A., the 20-year-old main suspect, who remains under investigation. The defendant said he now sees his actions as a mistake and is glad he was arrested, APA reported. 'I have had a daughter, now I see life more seriously,' he added. The time he has spent in custody will be deducted from the sentence. The verdict can be appealed.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Home Office working to ‘restore order' as council calls for asylum hotel to shut
The Home Office has said it is working to close hotels and 'restore order' after a council unanimously voted to urge the Government to shut a hotel housing asylum seekers following a series of protests around the site. Multiple demonstrations have been held outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since July 13 after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Dozens of protesters gathered at the site again on Thursday evening. Police have made 18 arrests and charged seven people in connection with the demonstrations. The Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has also reportedly urged the Home Secretary to review the use of the hotel for housing asylum seekers. Epping Forest District Council passed a motion on Thursday to call on the Government 'to immediately and permanently close' the hotel 'for the purposes of asylum processing'. The council unanimously voted in favour of the motion. On Friday, the Home Office said the new Failure to Travel policy is designed to tackle non-compliance by asylum seekers and will ensure individuals who are moved from hotels to suitable alternative accommodation must take it. Those who refuse to move without a valid reason will now risk losing their housing and support, the Home Office said. Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: 'We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system. 'This Government is making those necessary decisions to protect the taxpayer and uphold the integrity of our borders. 'These reforms to the Failure to Travel policy are another example of this Government's action to transform the asylum accommodation system and crack down on those who abuse our system, so it operates fairly and saves the taxpayer money.' Asked specifically about the Epping Forest District Council vote, the Home Office said: ''We'll continue to work closely with local police and community partners, in Epping and across the country, as we fix this broken system.' In a letter to Yvette Cooper, the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner said the hotel is unsuitable for housing migrants and is 'clearly creating community tension', the Telegraph reported. Roger Hirst continued: '(I am) requesting a meeting to discuss the ongoing use of hotels in the Epping Forest district of Essex, and elsewhere in the county, to accommodate newly arrived asylum seekers. 'Specifically, I am seeking to highlight the unsuitability of The Bell Hotel in Epping for this purpose, and request that its use be reviewed. The presence of asylum seeker accommodation in this district is clearly creating community tension. 'These large-scale protests are disrupting local life and placing an unwelcome burden on Essex Police resources.' Last Thursday's protest began peacefully but escalated into what officers described as 'scattered incidents of violence' targeting police and property. The force previously said a small number of people used that demonstration as cover to commit violent disorder and criminal damage. Eight officers were injured and a number of police vehicles were damaged as missiles were thrown. The latest developments come as police are braced for further protests, and the Government and law enforcement have vowed to act swiftly if unrest spreads. On Friday, dozens of protesters demonstrated outside a hotel in Canary Wharf which is reportedly set to be used to offer temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. The demonstration, organised by Stand up to Racism, took place outside the Britannia Hotel, with a group of anti-migrant protesters also present. More than 25 officers were in the vicinity to separate the two sides, with police vans carrying additional staff also patrolling Canary Wharf. Stand up to Racism placards read: 'Refugees welcome. Stop the far right.' Motorists passing the pro-migrant protest shouted towards the demonstration, saying 'send them home' and 'they get everything thrown at them'. A leaflet distributed by Stand up to Racism said a further protest would take place at Epping Tube station at 2pm on Sunday. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Thursday she was 'confident' the prison system was now robust enough to cope if riots were to erupt again. 'I'm confident we've taken the decisions that mean that we will always be able to respond,' she said. 'I'm not going to let us run out of prison places. 'Governments can't predict the future but our job is to make sure that we are capable of responding in a way that the public would expect and I'm confident we are in that position.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Japanese authorities fear sarin death cult founder's son is continuing his legacy
Japanese authorities have warned that the son of a cult leader behind the deadly sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo 's subway network in 1995 is now the leader of a successor group. At least 14 people were killed and more than 5,000 were left sickened after the cult's members released sarin nerve gas in the capital's subway trains on 20 March in 1995. The cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Supreme Truth, was disbanded and its founder Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, and 12 of his disciples were executed in 2018 for carrying out the attack. Yet other groups continue to spread Shoko Asahara's apocalyptic messaging. One of the most prominent is known as Aleph. and it continues to attract followers despite facing repeated restrictions from the government for failing to declare its assets. Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) on Tuesday announced that the 31-year-old second son of Shoko Asahara, a shadowy figure whose true identity is not known, has been 'involved in organisational decision-making and is leading Aleph's operations'. On Tuesday, the PSIA said that the man has been leading Aleph's operations for about a decade with help from Asahara's 66-year-old widow Tomoko Matsumoto. By 2017, the son had begun referring to himself as a 'second-generation guru', reported The Japan Times. The agency also confirmed that the group has 20 facilities around Japan with an estimated 1,190 followers as it published its latest report into Aleph's status and activities. Officials in Japan have prohibited the use of the group's 16 facilities across the country and designated the residence used by Asahara's son and widow in Saitama prefecture's Koshigaya city as the new Aleph site. It is also known as the 'Shin-Koshigaya facility', the report added. The PSIA is now looking to force the son-mother duo to disclose the property's purpose and activities held there. Around 1,600 former members still operate under renamed groups and have ignored an order to pay damages to survivors and bereaved families. During the 8am attack in 1995, five cult members got on separate train cars on three subway lines converging at Kasumigaseki, Japan's government centre, each dropping bags of sarin onto train carriage floors. They punctured the bags with umbrellas, releasing the gas inside the train cars which had hundreds of people inside. Within minutes, commuters poured out of the trains onto the platforms, rubbing their eyes and gasping for air. Some collapsed. Others fled into the streets where ambulances and rescue workers in hazmat suits gave first-aid Shizue Takahashi lost her husband, a deputy station master, in the attack. She expressed alarm that Asahara's second son has been identified as his de facto successor. 'Asahara's second son was born and raised within the Aum Shinrikyo cult and has been indoctrinated during that time by his father's teachings,' Ms Takahashi told the South China Morning Post. She claimed he 'personally desires to seize power and rebuild the organisation'. 'If he becomes as powerful within the cult as his father was, I believe he will try to expand it and create a new version of Aum Shinrikyo,' she told the SCMP.
