Albert Ojwang's autopsy shows the Kenyan blogger was hit and assaulted to death
A Kenyan blogger who died in police custody was hit on the head and his death was likely to have been caused by assault, a post-mortem has revealed. This contradicts police claims that Albert Ojwang "sustained head injuries after hitting his head against a cell wall".His death has sparked widespread outrage in Kenya, with rights groups demanding that police be held accountable. Mr Ojwang, 31, was detained following a complaint by the deputy police chief, who accused him of tarnishing his name on social media."The cause of death is very clear; head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault," state pathologist Bernard Midia said.
Police have not yet commented on the findings. Mr Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay, a town in western Kenya, on Friday, over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.He was subsequently transferred over 350km (220 miles) to the capital, Nairobi, and booked into the Central Police Station on Saturday.Police said he was later found unconscious in his cell with self-inflicted injuries. But an autopsy, conducted by five pathologists who released a unanimous report, revealed that Mr Ojwang had severe head injuries and suffered neck compression and multiple soft tissue trauma. Dr Midia, who led the team of pathologists, said that Mr Ojwang did not hit himself on the wall, as police had said in a statement on Sunday.He said if Mr Ojwang had done this, the pattern of injuries would have been different, and frontal bleeding on the head would be seen. "But the bleeds that we found on the scalp… on the skin of the head were spaced, including on the face, sides of the head and the back of the head," Dr Midia said at a press conference."There were also multiple soft tissue injuries spread all over the body, including the head, neck, upper limbs and the trunk and lower limbs... these were injuries that were externally inflicted," he added. The injuries were consistent with "external assault" and there were also signs of a struggle, according to pathologists. Faith Odhiambo, president of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), said the autopsy report clearly showed that Mr Ojwang had been "tortured" and "brutally murdered" in police custody. "We will continue to pile pressure until every single officer involved is held personally liable. We won't accept more excuses," Ms Odhiambo said. Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga has condemned Mr Ojwang's "horrifying" death, saying it added to a long list of "young and defenceless Kenyans whose lives have been taken too soon, in brutal and senseless circumstances, at the hands of the police". Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja earlier suspended several officers who were on duty at the time of Mr Ojwang's death.But human rights groups have demanded for more action, terming the blogger's death as a possible attempt to silence the digital community through intimidation and fear.A crowd of activists, holding placards and chanting "Stop killing us", protested on Monday outside Nairobi City mortuary, where Mr Ojwang's body is being kept.Kenya's Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched an inquiry into his death.
You may also be interested in:
Why Kenya's president has so many nicknamesThe 'tax collector' president sparking Kenyan angerBBC 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
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Kenyan blogger's wife seeks answers after his death in police custody
NAIROBI June 14 (Reuters) - When the policemen came for Albert Ojwang - the Kenyan blogger whose death in custody sparked protests this week and prompted a rare acknowledgement of police brutality by the president - his wife initially thought he would be safe. Unlike the dozens of political activists abducted by suspected security agents over the last year, the 31-year-old schoolteacher was taken to a police station and officers shared their phone numbers with his family. "When they came, they were so soft. They were not violent," said Nevnine Onyango, who was present when the officers arrived, accusing her husband of insulting their "boss". "So that is what gave me even more confidence." The next morning, a family member called with the news that Ojwang, the father of their three-year-old son, was dead. In the week since, the blogger's death has become a lightning rod in a nation just one year removed from mass youth-led protests that were fuelled, in part, by disgust at pervasive police violence. Hundreds protested in the capital Nairobi this week, with vehicles set ablaze and the police firing teargas. Demonstrators cited Ojwang's death as evidence that nothing had changed one year after more than 60 people were killed in demonstrations initially sparked by proposed tax hikes. Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay, in western Kenya, as part of an investigation triggered by a formal complaint from the deputy chief of the national police force, Eliud Lagat, according to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Kenya's government-funded police watchdog. Lagat had stated he had been the target of alleged false and malicious information published on X, IPOA said. Kenya's police chief initially implied that Ojwang had died by suicide but later apologised after an autopsy found that his wounds - including a head injury, neck compression and soft tissue damage - pointed to assault as the cause of death. President William Ruto said on Wednesday that Ojwang had died "at the hands of the police", which he said was "heartbreaking and unacceptable". Three people have so far been arrested in the case: the policeman in charge of the police station in Nairobi where Ojwang was found dead, a police constable and a closed-circuit television technician at the station. Reuters was not able to reach Lagat for comment, and a police spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. In the past, the police have called examples of abuse isolated incidents. It is not clear what Ojwang posted that got the attention of the police. His social media accounts no longer appear to be active. According to IPOA, which is investigating his death, Lagat's complaint triggered a probe that led to the arrest of another blogger. Interrogations of that blogger identified Ojwang as a person of interest, IPOA said. And so, last Saturday at lunchtime, police officers arrived at Ojwang's house on motorcycles and told him "there are some remarks that he had made about their boss, that the boss is corrupt", his wife Onyango said. They did not identify their boss. They first took Ojwang to the local police station before telling his family they would transfer him to Nairobi, nearly 300 km (185 miles) away, she said. She last heard from him at around 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) the Saturday of his arrest when he called her from Nairobi's Central Police Station. She said he sounded worried and asked if she would be able to come to Nairobi. Onyango is now hoping for answers - and accountability - from IPOA's investigation. "We always see these things on television, and it actually reached my door," she said of police abuses. "These people are supposed to protect us. They're not supposed to harm us."
Sky News
9 hours ago
- Sky News
Irish politician facing deportation from Egypt after trying to cross into Gaza
An Irish politician who was detained in Egypt trying to cross into Gaza says the police were violent towards the group after seizing his phone. People Before Profit-Solidarity TD (MP) Paul Murphy was part of a large demonstration attempting to march to the Rafah crossing in a bid to get aid into the region. The opposition politician said his phone and passport were confiscated on Friday before he was put on a bus to Cairo airport for deportation. Footage of the seconds before his phone was seized shows authorities forcibly dragging protesters away from the sit-down demonstration. Ireland's deputy premier said several Irish citizens who were detained have now been released. Mr Murphy confirmed he was among the released protesters, posting a photo on his Facebook page saying he was back in Cairo and "meeting shortly to decide next steps". In a message from Mr Murphy after he was detained, posted online by his social media team, he said: "I'm ok, but they still have my phone. "Egyptian police say we're going to airport but this isn't the road we came on because there are 1000s of marchers on the streets. They're taking us south past a lake, then west towards Cairo. "Violence got worse after they seized my phone. "One American woman in my group was badly kicked & beaten, and had her hijab torn off." Sky News has contacted Egypt's police regarding Mr Murphy's claims of violence towards the group. Mr Murphy previously said other Irish citizen were among those who had been stopped from entering Gaza. "The world has watched a horrific genocide for the past 20 months. Since March, a total attempt of starvation," he added. "And that this is a peaceful march to demand that it be ended and demand that western governments stop their complicity." Appeal to foreign affairs minister Mr Murphy's partner, Councillor Jess Spear, had previously appealed to Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister and deputy premier Simon Harris to make a public statement on Mr Murphy's detention. She expressed "relief" that the group had been released from detention. 3:59 She said: "However, they still want to reach Rafah to try and get humanitarian aid into Gaza. That has been the sole purpose of being in Egypt. "Paul has appealed to Tanaiste Simon Harris to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to let the marchers reach Rafah. The situation of the people of Gaza worsens by the day as they suffer starvation imposed by Israel."
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Federal judge recuses himself days before sentencing Memphis officers accused in Tyre Nichols' death
The federal judge presiding over the case against five former Memphis officers convicted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols recused himself Friday, just days before he was supposed to hand down sentences for the men. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris issued a one-sentence order saying he was recusing himself and "returns the matter to the Clerk for reassignment to another United States District Judge for all further proceedings.' He offered no further explanation. Norris' clerk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment Friday. Norris had overseen the case since federal indictments were issued in September 2023. He accepted guilty pleas from two of the officers and presided over the trial for the other three officers in October. Four of the five officers had been scheduled to be sentenced next week and the fifth on June 23. U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman was added to the case late Friday, court records showed. It was not immediately clear how the change in judges would affect the timing of the sentencings. Several motions had been filed under seal in recent days. It was not clear if any of those asked for Norris to step away from the case. It is unusual for a judge to recuse themself from a case between the trial and sentencing. Beating was captured on cameras The officers yanked Nichols from his car, then pepper-sprayed and hit the 29-year-old Black man with a Taser. Nichols fled, and when the five officers, who are also Black, caught up with him, they punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton. Nichols called out for his mother during the beating, which took place just steps from his home. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days later. Footage of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries — video that prompted intense scrutiny of police in Memphis. The beating also sparked nationwide protests and prompted renewed calls for police reform. The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired from the police force and indicted in state and federal court. Bean, Haley and Smith were found guilty in federal court in October of obstruction of justice through witness tampering related to an attempt to cover up the beating. The officers failed to say that they or their colleagues punched and kicked Nichols and broke Memphis Police Department rules when they did not include complete and accurate statements about what type of force they used. Bean and Smith were acquitted of more serious civil rights charges by the federal jury. Haley was found guilty of violating Nichols' civil rights by causing bodily injury and showing deliberate indifference to medical needs. He was also convicted of conspiracy to witness tamper. Bean and Smith were scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. Haley's sentencing was scheduled for Tuesday, and Martin was scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday. Mills' sentencing was set for June 23. Martin Zummach, Smith's lawyer, referred questions on Norris' recusal to the district court and the U.S. Attorney's Office on Friday. Bean, Haley and Smith were acquitted in May of all state charges, including second-degree murder. The jury for the state trial was chosen in majority-white Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the case be heard from people outside of Shelby County, which includes the majority-Black Memphis. The officers' lawyers had argued that intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult. Martin and Mills pleaded guilty in federal court last year to violating Nichols' civil rights by causing death and conspiracy to witness tamper. They did not stand trial in federal court with their former colleagues. Martin and Mills also avoided the trial in state court after reaching agreements to plead guilty there. Both Martin and Mills testified in the federal trial, and Mills also took the stand in the state trial. Officers were part of Scorpion Unit The officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that was disbanded weeks after Nichols died. The team targeted illegal drugs and guns, and violent offenders, and sometimes used force against unarmed people. In December, the U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people. The investigation also found that the Memphis Police Department conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests. In May, the Trump administration announced it was retracting the findings of Justice Department civil rights investigations of police departments, including Memphis, that were issued under the Biden administration. The city has hired a former federal judge and created a task force to address police department reforms. The task force has not announced any recommendations. Nichols' family is suing the five officers, the city of Memphis and the police chief for $550 million. A trial has been scheduled in that case next year. Norris is the judge presiding over that case too. Court records in the lawsuit did not show any order of recusal Friday.
