Latest news with #policebrutality
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Kenya protests: IPOA police watchdog blames deaths on 'disproportionate force'
Kenya's police watchdog has accused officers of using "disproportionate force" to quell a recent series of protests during which 65 people a report released on Thursday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) linked most of the deaths to actions by the also highlighted the role of opportunists who infiltrated the protests – described as "goons" – who "undermined the principles of peaceful assembly".Over the past six weeks, there have been four separate days of demonstrations which were called over police brutality and anger at government policies. The first in the capital, Nairobi – on 12 June – was "largely peaceful", the Ipoa report says. It followed the death in custody of a young teacher and blogger, Albert Ojwang, which the police initially said was a result of self-inflicted then three police officers have been charged with his murder. Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trialIs William Ruto the most disliked president in Kenya's history?Mother mourns 'beautiful' 12-year-old shot while watching TV during Kenya protests A second protest on 17 June led to the shooting at point-blank range of one civilian, street vendor Boniface Kariuki, who later died. An officer has been charged in connection with the on 23 June, a protest was called to mark a year since deadly anti-government demonstrations broke out over tax rises, which were later reversed. The Ipoa report says that 23 people died in different parts of the country on that fourth day – 7 July – saw the biggest loss of life with 41 people the four days, the watchdog also documented 342 injuries to civilians and 171 injuries to police, along with looting and vandalism targeting businesses, police stations and government Ipoa says its monitors saw "significant breaches of constitutional policing standards, including use of disproportionate force, lack of professionalism, and failure to uphold public safety and rights".Responding to the violence in the wake of the 7 July demonstrations, President William Ruto ordered police to shoot protesters targeting businesses in the legs, ensuring they were incapacitated but not killed."Anyone caught burning another person's business or property should be shot in the leg, hospitalised, and later taken to court. Don't kill them, but ensure their legs are broken," the president June, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen denied the police had used excessive force and described the protests as "terrorism disguised as dissent" and an "unconstitutional attempt" to change the groups have condemned the government's response to the protests, accusing the authorities of allowing and at times encouraging the use of deadly force against demonstrators. You may also be interested in: BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protestersWhy Kenya's president has so many nicknamesFour Kenyan police officers charged over baby's killing as others freedNew faces of protest - Kenya's Gen Z anti-tax revolutionaries Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mother, 29, 'held as a sex slave in police cell by cops who took turns raping her during horrifying nine-month ordeal' in Brazil
A Brazilian mother has claimed she was repeatedly raped by police officers in front of her newborn baby for nine months after being held as a sex slave in a prison cell. The 29-year-old woman said officers took it in turns to abuse her at a police station in Santo Antonio do Ica in the rural state of Amazonas. A lawyer acting for the woman, who is part of Amazonian Kokama indigenous community, said the attacks began after she was arrested and accused of domestic violence against her husband. But when she was taken to the remote police station, officers threw her in a cell with male inmates and told her there was an outstanding warrant for her arrest. She then allegedly became a sex slave to the officers who systematically raped her until she was released in August 2023. The woman is now demanding nearly £67,000 in compensation from the state for the horrific abuse she suffered. According to an affidavit, the woman's ordeal was so traumatic that she tried to kill herself several times. 'The psychological damages of the gang rape committed in the presence of the newborn and during the period of imprisonment caused her permanent damage,' the document said. Additionally, the level of abuse she suffered was so physically brutal that two years later she continues to suffer from uncontrollable bleeding in the uterus, her legal team said. 'The physical pain acquired as a result of sexual violence is added to the deep psychological wound that marked the Plaintiff's soul. 'The depression, the suicide attempts inside the prison and the constant fear are silent witnesses to the barbarity suffered.' Lead attorney Dacimar de Souza Carneiro noted that the abuse happened everywhere in the station - from the cell to the kitchen and even in the weapons arsenal. 'The rapes happened at night, during shifts. In all areas of the police station. The other prisoners didn't say anything because they were also tortured.' And when she begged them not to rape her in front of her baby son, cops reportedly told her: 'We're the ones in charge here.' When she was not being raped, the document alleges that she was locked in the police station's only cell with other men and lived in constant fear of further attacks. The victim identified four military police officers and a municipal guard as the perpetrators. She was only spared when she was transferred to a women's jail in August 2023, and she told wardens about what had happened to her. The Amazonas Public Security Secretariat and the Civil Police say they are investigating her allegations.
CBS News
14 hours ago
- CBS News
Video shows physical arrest of man at Stanislaus County Fair
The physical arrest of a Turlock man at the Stanislaus County Fair was caught on camera. The short clip shows sheriff's deputies hitting Ronaldo Hernandez before taking him down to the ground and putting him in handcuffs. Hernandez spent the night in jail but is still wondering what he did to get arrested. His family is calling for justice for what they say was a wrongful arrest and assault. Hernandez said the fairgrounds used to be a fun place to go to. He hadn't visited the fair in his hometown in years and decided to go on Sunday. "All of a sudden, I feel a push from behind out of nowhere. I didn't know who it was or what it was," Hernandez said. "Somebody grabbed me from the front and pushed me down, so I didn't see who was doing this to me." A normal day at the fair turned into a traumatic experience for the 22-year-old. "All this hurts," he said, pointing to his forehead. "I get lapses of the beating I took. I started getting beat up, shots everywhere." Hernandez has multiple cuts and bruises on his body and face. "It really took five people to break a man's face for no reason? What was I doing wrong?" he questioned. "I wasn't being aggressive. I wasn't altercating with anybody. We were just there talking. Why attack me? Why?" The man seen approaching the deputies at the end of the video is Hernandez's father, Sergio. Family and friends were at the fair and witnessed the arrest. Herandez says the sheriff's office charged him with resisting arrest and public intoxication. However, those are charges he said are false. "The justice I want, and that I'm waiting to fight, is that deputy goes to jail, and they're out of their job because they shouldn't be working here. Those are the principal matters," said Sergio Hernandez. John McGuinness, a former sheriff for Sacramento County, said that the video is short and doesn't show what led up to the arrest, which could be vital to the case. "There are things that people may say or do in terms of behavior that may justify those blows. On the contrary, if it is not justified, then there are problems that will follow," he said. We reached out to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office for comment. They say they are aware of the video and are working on gathering all of the proper information and say they will respond once they have all the facts. "I don't think I'll ever get over this for the rest of my life. Something that's going to be stuck with me forever," Ronaldo Hernandez said.
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Arab News
Black student dragged from his car and punched by Florida officers says he was scared and confused
A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a broken tooth that pierced his lip and led to several stiches, his lawyers said Wednesday. At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I knew I didn't do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.' McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, Livingstone President Anthony Davis said. The encounter with law enforcement happened in February, but the arrest didn't capture much attention until the video from McNeil's car-mounted camera went viral over the weekend. That's when the sheriff said he became aware of it and opened an internal investigation, which is ongoing. The sheriff said a separate probe by the State Attorney's Office cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing — a finding fiercely criticized by McNeil's lawyers. Video from inside the car captures him being punched Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report. The video filmed by McNeil's camera shows him sitting in the driver's seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers' supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle and punched him again. He was then knocked to the ground by an officer who delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things,' DeSantis said. 'There's a rush to judgment. There's a, there's a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' DeSantis says he hasn't seen the video, but backs law enforcement DeSantis said he hasn't reviewed the viral video but has 'every confidence' in Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has urged the public not to cast judgment based on the footage alone. 'If people get out of line, he's going to hold them accountable,' DeSantis said. Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with an officer, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches. The cellphone footage from the Feb. 19 arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, 'What is your reason?' He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was being pulled over and to ask for a supervisor. Report that McNeil reached toward a knife is disputed A point of contention in the police report is a claim that McNeil reached toward an area of the car where deputies found a knife when they searched the vehicle after taking him into custody. 'The suspect was reaching for the floorboard of the vehicle where a large knife was sitting,' Officer D. Bowers wrote in his report. Crump called that police report a 'fabrication,' saying McNeil 'never reaches for anything.' A second officer observed that McNeil kept his hands up as Bowers smashed the window. 'After Ofc. Bowers opened the door, the subject refused to exit the vehicle, but kept his hands up,' the second officer wrote. Sheriff says officers have been cleared of committing any crimes The State Attorney's Office determined that the officers did not violate any criminal laws, the sheriff said. No one from the State Attorney's Office ever interviewed McNeil, Crump said. Daniels called their investigation 'a whitewashing.' 'But for that video, we would not be here,' Daniels said. 'And we thank God Mr. McNeil had the courage to record.' Asked about the criticism of the State Attorney's review, a spokesperson for the office said Wednesday that 'a memo to McNeil's file will be finalized in the coming days that will serve as our comment.' Shortly after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, Waters said. Civil rights attorneys call for accountability 'America, we're better than this, we're at a crossroads,' Crump said. 'We are a Democracy, we believe in the Constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.' Crump said his client remained calm while the officers who are trained to deescalate tense situations were the ones escalating violence. He said the case harkened back to the Civil Rights movement, when Black people were often attacked when they tried to assert their rights. 'What he exhibited was a 21st century Rosa Parks moment where an African American had the audacity to say 'I deserve equal justice under the law. I deserve to be treated like a human being with all the respect that a human being is entitled to.'' The sheriff has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump and lawyer Harry Daniels, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car 'does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.' 'Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera,' the sheriff said in a statement, adding that the video did not capture events that occurred before officers decided to arrest McNeil. Cameras 'can only capture what can be seen and heard,' the sheriff added. 'So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it.' Many of the speakers at Wednesday's news conference said they hope the Florida case results in accountability so that what happened to McNeil doesn't happen to others. 'It's incumbent upon everyone to understand that this could have been us, this could have been me, this could have been you,' civil rights lawyer Gerald Griggs said.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Black student dragged from his car and punched by Florida officers says he was scared and confused
William McNeil Jr., centre, listens as his attorney Ben Crump, right, speaks during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (WJAX via AP) A Black college student shown on video being punched and dragged from his car by Florida law officers during a traffic stop faces a long recovery from injuries that include a concussion and a broken tooth that pierced his lip and led to several stiches, his lawyers said Wednesday. At a news conference in Jacksonville, 22-year-old William McNeil Jr. spoke softly as he made a few brief comments with his family and civil rights attorneys by his side. 'That day I just really wanted to know why I was getting pulled over and why I needed to step out of the car,' he said. 'I knew I didn't do nothing wrong. I was really just scared.' McNeil is a biology major who played in the marching band at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina, Livingstone President Anthony Davis said. The encounter with law enforcement happened in February, but the arrest didn't capture much attention until the video from McNeil's car-mounted camera went viral over the weekend. That's when the sheriff said he became aware of it and opened an internal investigation, which is ongoing. The sheriff said a separate probe by the State Attorney's Office cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing — a finding fiercely criticized by McNeil's lawyers. Video from inside the car captures him being punched Footage of the violent arrest has sparked nationwide outrage, with civil rights lawyers accusing authorities of fabricating their arrest report. The video filmed by McNeil's camera shows him sitting in the driver's seat, asking to speak to the Jacksonville officers' supervisor, when they broke his window, punched him in the face, pulled him from the vehicle, and then punched him again. He was then knocked to the ground by an officer who delivered six closed-fist punches to the hamstring of his right thigh, police reports show. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday defended law enforcement officers and implied the video was posted to advance a 'narrative' and generate attention on social media. 'That's what happens in so many of these things,' DeSantis said. 'There's a rush to judgment. There's a, there's a desire to try to get views and clicks by creating division.' DeSantis says he hasn't seen the video, but backs law enforcement DeSantis said he hasn't reviewed the viral video but has 'every confidence' in Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who has urged the public not to cast judgement based on the footage alone. 'If people get out of line, he's going to hold them accountable,' DeSantis said. Body camera footage of the encounter shows McNeil had been repeatedly told to exit the vehicle. And, though he earlier had his car door open while talking with an officer, he later closed it and appeared to keep it locked for about three minutes before the officers forcibly removed him, the video shows. The vantage point of the body camera footage that was released makes it difficult to see the punches that were thrown. The cellphone footage from the Feb. 19 arrest shows that seconds before being dragged outside, McNeil had his hands up and did not appear to be resisting as he asked, 'What is your reason?' He had pulled over and had been accused of not having his headlights on, even though it was daytime, his lawyers said. On Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said his client had every right to ask why he was being pulled over and to ask for a supervisor. Sheriff: Officers have been cleared of committing any crimes The State Attorney's Office determined that the officers did not violate any criminal laws, the sheriff said. No one from the State Attorney's Office ever interviewed McNeil, said Crump. Daniels called their investigation 'a whitewashing.' 'But for that video, we would not be here,' Daniels said. 'And we thank God Mr. McNeil had the courage to record.' Asked about the criticism of the State Attorney's review, a spokesman for the office said Wednesday that 'a memo to McNeil's file will be finalized in the coming days that will serve as our comment.' Shortly after his arrest, McNeil pleaded guilty to charges of resisting an officer without violence and driving with a suspended license, Waters said. Civil rights attorneys call for accountability 'America, we're better than this, we're at a crossroads,' Crump said. 'We are a Democracy, we believe in the Constitution. We are not a police state where the police can do anything they want to citizens without any accountability.' Crump said his client remained calm while the officers who are trained to deescalate tense situations were the ones escalating violence. He said the case harkened back to the Civil Rights movement, when Black people were often attacked when they tried to assert their rights. 'What he exhibited was a 21st century Rosa Parks moment where an African American had the audacity to say 'I deserve equal justice under the law. I deserve to be treated like a human being with all the respect that a human being is entitled to.'' The sheriff has pushed back on some of the claims by Crump and lawyer Harry Daniels, saying the cellphone camera footage from inside the car 'does not comprehensively capture the circumstances surrounding the incident.' 'Part of that stems from the distance and perspective of the recording cell phone camera,' the sheriff said in a statement, adding that the video did not capture events that occurred before officers decided to arrest McNeil. Cameras 'can only capture what can be seen and heard,' the sheriff added. 'So much context and depth are absent from recorded footage because a camera simply cannot capture what is known to the people depicted in it.' Many of the speakers at Wednesday's news conference said they hope the Florida case results in accountability so that what happened to McNeil doesn't happen to others. 'It's incumbent upon everyone to understand that this could have been us, this could have been me, this could have been you,' civil rights lawyer Gerald Griggs said. —- Jeff Martin, The Associated Press Associated Press writer Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed.
