Renowned Kenyan human rights activist arrested
The prominent activist and former photojournalist has been detained on many occasions, including in May when he was abducted in Tanzania and allegedly tortured by security forces over several days.
'The police have come to our home and are taking my husband, talking of terrorism and arson! They've taken his gadgets and said they are taking him to DCI HQ,' said his wife Njeri Mwangi on X, referring to the headquarters of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The police have come to our home in Courage Base and are taking my husband, talking of terrorism and arson! They've taken his gadgets and said they are taking him to DCI Hq. I can't breath pic.twitter.com/FWhg1ILtLd
— Njeri Mwangi (@njerikan) July 19, 2025
The announcement of the arrest, with no clear accusations so far, quickly sparked a wave of condemnation on social media.
Hussein Khalid, director of rights group Vocal Africa, confirmed the arrest on X and said he was following the case 'to understand the reasons' for the detention.
The hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi was circulating widely on social media.
On May 19, Mwangi was arrested along with award-winning Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire in Tanzania's economic capital, Dar es Salaam.
They were in the country to offer support to Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, facing a potential death sentence in a treason trial, ahead of elections in October.
They were detained for several days and both accused police officers of acts of torture and sexual assault, and this week filed a case with the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).
Since the beginning of a large protest movement in Kenya in June 2024, President William Ruto has faced sharp criticism over a series of abductions and police violence.
Human rights organization allege that more than 100 people have been killed since the beginning of last year's anti-government rallies, which were harshly suppressed.
Protests on July 7 were the deadliest in a year, with at least 38 deaths, including a 12-year-old girl.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Sudan PM Vows to Rebuild Khartoum on First Visit to War-torn Capital
Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Saturday pledged to rebuild Khartoum, ravaged by more than two years of war, as he made his first visit to the capital since assuming office in May. Touring Khartoum's destroyed infrastructure earlier, the new premier outlined mass repair projects in anticipation of the return of at least some of the over 3.5 million people who fled the violence, AFP reported. "Khartoum will return as a proud national capital," Idris said, according to Sudan's state news agency. Sudan's army chief and de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who appointed Idris, landed Saturday at Khartoum's airport, recaptured by the army in March after nearly two years of occupation by their rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF began in the heart of the capital in April 2023, quickly tearing the city apart. Tens of thousands are estimated to have been killed in the once-bustling capital, and reconstruction is expected to be a herculean feat, with the government putting the cost at $700 billion nationwide, with Khartoum alone accounting for around half of that. The army-aligned government, which moved to Port Sudan on the Red Sea early in the war and still operates from there, has begun to plan the return of ministries to Khartoum even as fighting rages on in other parts of the country. Authorities have begun operations to properly bury the bodies still missing around the city, clear thousands of unexploded ordinance and resume bureaucratic services. On a visit to Sudan's largest oil refinery, the Al-Jaili plant just north of Khartoum, Idris promised that "national institutions will come back even better than they were before". The refinery -- now a blackened husk -- was recaptured in January, but the facility which once processed 100,000 barrels a day will take years and at least $1.3 billion to rebuild, officials told AFP. Cabinet stumbles The UN expects some two million people will return to Khartoum this year, but those coming back have found an unrecognizable city. The scale of looting is unprecedented, aid workers say, with evidence of paramilitary fighters ripping copper wire out of power lines before they left. Vast areas of the city remain without power, and the damage to water infrastructure has caused a devastating cholera outbreak. Health authorities recorded up to 1,500 cases a day last month, according to the UN. "Water is the primary concern and obstacle delaying the return of citizens to their homes," Idris said on Saturday. A career diplomat and former UN official, Idris is building a government that critics warn could put up a veneer of civilian rule, in addition to facing challenges within its own camp. In 2020, during a short-lived transition to civilian rule, the government in Khartoum signed a peace agreement with Sudanese armed groups, allocating a share of cabinet posts to signatories. All but three cabinet posts are now filled, and armed groups currently fighting alongside the army have retained their representation in Idris's government. But reports that Idris had sought to appoint technocrats in their place have created tensions. Some of the armed groups, known together as the Joint Forces, have been integral in defending North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, which has been besieged by the paramilitaries since May of last year. If the RSF succeeds in taking El-Fasher, it will control all of the vast western region of Darfur, cementing the fragmentation of the country. Despite the army securing the capital, as well as the country's north and east, war still rages in Sudan's west and south, where the RSF is accused of killing hundreds of civilians in recent days. Sudan is suffering the world's largest hunger and displacement crises, with nearly 25 million people in dire food insecurity and over 10 million internally displaced across the country. A further four million people have fled across borders.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
Rights activists welcome Pakistan Senate move to scrap death penalty for two crimes
KARACHI: Rights activists in Pakistan on Saturday welcomed Pakistan's Senate decision to abolish the death penalty for two criminal offenses— publicly stripping women and harboring hijackers— but stressed the need for stronger legislation and better enforcement to ensure justice for survivors and prevent violence. The reform amends Sections 354-A and 402-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and replaces capital punishment with life imprisonment for the two crimes. Lawmakers say the move is part of a broader effort to align Pakistan's criminal justice system with international human rights standards, particularly under the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which grants preferential trade access to countries that uphold certain rights commitments. 'Publicly stripping women of their clothes is one of the most heinous crimes and must be met with the harshest punishment,' Mahnaz Rahman, woman's rights activist and former executive director of the Aurat Foundation, told Arab News. 'While we strongly advocate for severe punishments for such acts, we do not support the death penalty for any crime, including this one.' She said life imprisonment itself was an 'extremely severe' punishment, though she insisted the change must be accompanied by comprehensive and robust legislation to prevent this and all other forms of violence against women. 'Ultimately, it is the effective enforcement of laws and accountability that will deter such crimes and help ensure that women feel genuinely safe and protected in our society,' she added. Sarah Belal, Executive Director of Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), said the reform aligned Pakistan's criminal justice system more closely with the principles of fairness and the rule of law. 'The death penalty has never been enforced for this offense, but its mere presence has discouraged convictions and denied survivors meaningful redress,' she said. 'Harsh punishments may appear tough, but they often let perpetrators walk free.' 'Removing the death penalty for these offenses does not mean they are being decriminalized,' she added. 'It simply means we are pushing for stronger, more proportionate implementation of the law.' Senator Talal Chaudhry of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party who introduced the bill said the amendments had been thoroughly discussed and approved by a standing committee with cross-party input. 'Replacing the death penalty with life imprisonment under both sections is part of Pakistan's legal reforms,' he said. The bill must now be passed by the National Assembly before it can receive presidential assent and become law. Under existing law, Section 354-A allows for capital punishment or life imprisonment for anyone who assaults and strips a woman in public, while Section 402-C applies the same punishment to individuals who knowingly harbor hijackers. The new bill eliminates the death penalty option for both. However, some lawmakers have voiced concern over the move. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri of the Balochistan Awami Party warned that Pakistan's low conviction rates and weak enforcement mechanisms could make reduced punishments ineffective as a deterrent. 'This is not right,' she was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper. 'This is not going to help the country or its people.' Chaudhry defended the move, pointing to the misuse of capital punishment laws enacted during the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. 'Life imprisonment is by no means a minor punishment,' he said, noting that the law had often been abused by police to settle personal vendettas. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar emphasized that the changes did not affect death sentences for more serious crimes like murder or rape. 'We are only removing the death penalty from offenses that do not constitute the 'most serious crimes,' a key requirement under the GSP+ agreement,' he said in response to a query by Senator Shibli Faraz. Pakistan has long faced international scrutiny over its broad application of the death penalty. At least 31 offenses are currently punishable by death under Pakistani law. While executions have not taken place since 2020, over 6,100 people remain on death row, according to the Justice Project Pakistan. Between 2015 and 2019, more than 500 people were executed following the end of a moratorium in 2014. Senator Quratulain Marri of the Pakistan People's Party, a coalition partner of the ruling PML-N, said her party opposed the death penalty on principle. 'There are numerous studies on how capital punishment is not an effective deterrent,' she told Arab News. 'While the need for reforms cannot be ruled out, we have to consider bringing changes that better society in the long run. The aim is to rid society of the crime and not just the criminal.'
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Sudan PM vows to rebuild Khartoum on first visit to war-torn capital
KHARTOUM: Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Saturday pledged to rebuild Khartoum on his first visit to the capital, ravaged by more than two years of war, since assuming office in May. Touring the city's destroyed airport, bridges and water stations, the new premier outlined mass repair projects in anticipation of the return of at least some of the millions who have fled the violence. 'Khartoum will return as a proud national capital,' Idris said, according to Sudan's state news agency. The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in the heart of the capital in April 2023, quickly tearing the city apart. Tens of thousands are estimated to have been killed in the once-bustling capital which 3.5 million people have fled, according to the United Nations. According to Khartoum state's media office, Idris on Saturday visited the army headquarters and the city's airport, two national symbols whose recapture along with the presidential palace earlier this year cemented the army's victory in the capital. But reconstruction is expected to be a herculean feat, with the government putting the cost at $700 billion nationwide, around half of which in Khartoum alone. The army-aligned government, which moved to Port Sudan on the Red Sea early in the war and still operates from there, has begun to plan the return of ministries to Khartoum even as fighting rages on in other parts of the country. Authorities have begun operations in the capital to properly bury corpses, clear thousands of unexploded ordnances and resume bureaucratic services. On a visit to Sudan's largest oil refinery, the Al-Jaili plant just north of Khartoum, Idris promised that 'national institutions will come back even better than they were before.' The refinery — now a blackened husk — was recaptured in January, but the facility which once processed 100,000 barrels a day will take years and at least $1.3 billion to rebuild, officials told AFP. Idris is a career diplomat and former UN official who was appointed in May by army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto leader, to form an administration dubbed a 'government of hope.' The war has created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises, with nearly 25 million people suffering dire food insecurity and over 10 million internally displaced across the country. A further four million people have fled across borders. In Sudan's southern Kordofan and western Darfur regions, the fighting shows no signs of abating, with the paramilitaries accused of killing hundreds in recent days in attempts to capture territory.
