Kenya rights activist freed on bail, charged with unlawful possession of ammunition
Kenyan activists have been on edge over the arrests of government critics since a political blogger died in custody in June, triggering weeks of violent demonstrations in which around 50 people were killed.
Police had arrested Mwangi, 42, on Saturday and said they had recovered unused teargas canisters, a "7.62mm blank round", two mobile phones, a laptop and notebooks.
Mwangi was "found in possession of noxious substances to wit three teargas canisters without lawful authority," according to a charge sheet seen by Reuters. He was also accused of illegal possession of a single round of blank ammunition.
The courtroom was packed with hundreds of activists, some wearing Kenyan flags.
"They have no evidence," Mwangi told reporters, describing his prosecution as "a big shame".
His lawyer told Reuters he was grateful to the court for agreeing to release Mwangi on bail.
Mwangi, who once ran for parliament on an anti-corruption platform, has earned a reputation for speaking out against human rights violations in Kenya and abroad. He was expelled from neighbouring Tanzania in May, where he had travelled to observe a hearing in a treason case against an opposition figure.
Last month hundreds of Kenyans took to the streets to protest against the death in police custody of political blogger Albert Ojwang. Police initially implied that Ojwang had died by suicide but later apologised after an autopsy found that his injuries pointed to assault as the cause of death.
The demonstrations over Ojwang's death reignited protests that had erupted last year over the cost of living and alleged police brutality and corruption.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
China's Premier Li proposes global AI cooperation organisation
SHANGHAI, July 26 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang proposed on Saturday establishing a world artificial intelligence cooperation organisation, calling on countries to coordinate development and security of the fast-evolving technology. Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth but said governance is fragmented and emphasised the need to step up coordination between countries to form a globally recognised framework for AI. The three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the U.S., with AI emerging as a key battleground between the world's two largest economies. Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including AI chips and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns the technology could enhance China's military capabilities. Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S. officials. Li said AI technologies were rapidly evolving but that there were constraints, such as the lack of high-end computing chips and restrictions on talent exchange. He called for breaking through bottlenecks for open and coordinated innovation.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Taiwan votes in major recall election closely watched by China
TAIPEI, July 26 (Reuters) - Voters in Taiwan were casting ballots on Saturday on whether to recall one-fifth of the island's parliament, all from the major opposition party, in a move supporters hope will send a message to China and opponents say is an assault on democracy. Taiwan's government said the island's largest-ever recall vote has faced "unprecedented" election interference by China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own, over Taiwan's rejection. The election could reshape the Taiwan legislature and present an opportunity for President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party to regain its majority. While Lai won last year's presidential election, the DPP lost its legislative majority. The opposition has flexed its muscles since then to pass laws the government has opposed and impose budget cuts, complicating efforts to boost defence spending in particular. The political drama comes as China ramps up a military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert the territorial claims that Lai and his government reject. Lai has offered talks with Beijing many times but been rebuffed. It calls him a "separatist". The heated recall campaign has been closely watched by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office and state media have repeatedly commented on the vote and used some of the same talking points as the main opposition party Kuomintang to lambaste Lai, Reuters reported this week. Taipei this week said Beijing was "clearly" trying to interfere in its democracy and it was up to Taiwan's people to decide who should be removed from or stay in office. Saturday's vote, culminating a campaign begun by civic groups, will decide whether to oust 24 KMT lawmakers and hold by-elections for their seats. Recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers will occur on August 23. The recall groups say theirs is an "anti-communist" movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. The KMT rejects the accusations, denouncing Lai's "dictatorship" and "green terror" - referring to the DPP's party colour. The KMT went into full campaign mode against what they called a "malicious" recall that failed to respect the result of last year's parliamentary election, saying they have simply been keeping lines of communication open with Beijing and exercising legitimate oversight of Lai's government. Polls close at 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) and results should become clear later in the evening.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Couple sue police force at High Court over death of transgender teenager
The mother and stepfather of a transgender teenager who took his own life after going missing are taking High Court legal action against a police force whose response was found to have potentially contributed to his death. Jason Pulman was found dead aged 15 in Hampden Park in Eastbourne in April 2022, with an inquest jury finding in April last year that his emotional and mental needs were 'inadequately assessed and provided for' by multiple services, and that police 'responded inadequately' to his going missing. Emily and Mark Pulman are now suing Sussex Police over an alleged breach of human rights, with around 10 hours passing between Jason being reported missing and an officer first attending their family home. They claim the force 'failed properly or at all to protect Jason against the risk of suicide' after he was graded only a 'medium risk', and that there was a 'real prospect of a different outcome' if there was a 'reasonable response' to Jason's disappearance. They also say the force is 'flip-flopping' over its position and whether it has learned from Jason's death. The force has expressed its 'sincere condolences' to Jason's family. Speaking to the PA news agency, the couple said Jason's death, the subsequent inquest and legal battle had been 'devastating'. Mrs Pulman, 39, said: 'If the police can actually take accountability for what has happened and what went wrong, that is the only way they can start making changes.' She continued: 'I think about Jason and how much he used to fight for things he believed in. He used to go to protests and research and get involved in different things because he wanted to make change.' 'I want to try and get some change for kids like Jason, as I know that that is what he would want as well. 'When I feel like quitting, I have got Jason's cheeky little head in my head, with his outfit, with all his badges on, saying 'you must fight for what you believe', and that is what gives me strength.' Jason began identifying as a male aged around 14, but never received specialist gender dysphoria treatment due to assessment delays. In documents filed at the High Court by law firm Bindmans, Nick Armstrong KC, for Mr and Mrs Pulman, claimed Jason also received insufficient mental health support. On April 19 2022, Mrs Pulman discovered Jason was missing from their home in East Sussex and called the police. She informed a call handler that Jason was transgender, had previously self-harmed and attempted to take his own life, and may have taken public transport. The call handler graded Jason as medium-risk, but an officer did not look at the case for more than three hours after the first call, despite Mrs Pulman ringing police twice more and stating Jason had informed a friend he was travelling to London, most likely by train. Jason remained graded as medium-risk, the British Transport Police (BTP) were not notified, and an officer did not attend the family's home for almost 10 hours after the first call. This was despite there being 'other opportunities' to intercept Jason, Mr Armstrong said. Around an hour after police visited the house, Jason was found dead in Hampden Park by a member of the public. In a prevention of future deaths report last year, a coroner said Jason died 'potentially through his mental health and gender identity issues', and that it was 'also possible Jason may have been prevented from committing suicide' if BTP was made aware that he was missing. Mr Armstrong said police knew or should have known that Jason 'represented a real and immediate risk of life-threatening harm', but that their response was 'slow, and strikingly casual'. He continued that Jason was a 'source of unlimited joy', describing him as 'funny, mischievous, artistic, rude and unconventional', and that his death was an 'unimaginable tragedy'. Nine days after Jason's death, Mr and Mrs Pulman met then-chief superintendent Katy Woolford. Mr Armstrong said that Ms Woolford told the Pulmans that they had done 'everything right' and that there had been failings by the police, including not immediately grading Jason as high-risk. But the barrister continued that there was a 'significant and distressing shift in the police's evidence' at Jason's inquest, with the force allegedly seeking to exclude evidence related to the meeting with Ms Woolford and claiming there was 'no arguable omission by anyone'. The force accepted the inquest findings, stating that its service 'fell below the standards expected', but is accused of changing its stance again when the family threatened to bring legal action. Mr Armstrong said that the force's 'reversal and re-reversal' on its position was 'shameful', adding: 'The claimants do not know whether the defendant has or has not learned from the inquest process.' Mrs Pulman said: 'You feel like you're getting close to answers and closure as to what happened and what has been happening, and then it is pulled away again.' She continued: 'It's like torture, because you're getting somewhere, then you're kicked down.' Mr Pulman, 50, said the force's 'flip-flopping' left the pair feeling 'let down, hurt and confused', which, combined with the emotional impact of Jason's death, means he feels 'hopeless'. He said: 'No amount of money, no apology, is going to make up for three years of what they've done, because that's long-term damage.' A Sussex Police spokesperson said: 'Our sincere condolences remain with Jason's family following their tragic loss; however, we are unable to comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.'
