After being accused of unlawfully possessing ammunition for allegedly playing a role in deadly anti-government protests in June, a prominent Kenyan human rights activist was released on bail.
Two days after being detained and charged by the police, Boniface Mwangi is accused of eschewing two mobile phones, a laptop, and notebooks in addition to his arrest.
Numerous activists were lining up in the courtroom, some of whom wore Kenyan flags. Mwangi described his prosecution as “a big shame,” calling his prosecution “no evidence” in a press release.
His lawyer thanked the court for allowing him to be released on bail, according to his attorney, according to Reuters news agency.
Since last year, Kenya has been the subject of widespread antigovernment protests, first against tax increases in a finance bill and then to demand President William Ruto’s resignation.
Police have been accused of human rights violations since the protests started, including allegations that they tortured and abducted government critics.
More than 100 people have been killed in the protests, according to rights organizations. They have been brutally suppressed.
In a government crackdown on a protest this month, at least 31 people were killed and more than 100 were hurt. At least 19 people were killed in a similar demonstration against Ruto in June.
During the June protests, police detained Mwangi, a former photojournalist, and detained him on Saturday after he was accused of “facilitating terrorist acts.” The activist refuted the accusations, saying, “I am not a terrorist, as he claimed in a post that his supporters shared on social media.
His arrest sparked a wave of outcry online, with the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi becoming well-known and human rights organizations expressing their disapproval.
An ally and a journalist were accused of paying “goons” to fuel unrest at last month’s protests when police raided Mwangi’s home on a search warrant.
However, dozens of activists and 37 rights organizations claim they have not yet been able to establish that the warrant was issued by a judge.
According to the organizations’ joint statement, Mwangi’s arrest on “unjustified terrorism allegations” is a violation of the justice system to crush the opposition.
The organizations claim that what began as targeted repression of young protesters demanding accountability has turned into a full-scale assault on Kenya’s democracy.
In a fierce police crackdown in June of last year, Al Jazeera’s digital documentary series Close Up profiled Mwangi. He then claimed that because he was pursuing justice for the families of protesters who had been killed by police, he was given the nickname “People’s Watchman.”
Mwangi, who once ran for office in Kenya on an anti-corruption platform, has been detained numerous times.
He had traveled to Tanzania’s largest city on May 19 to support treason-accused opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who had been detained there on May 19th.
The Tanzanian police accused Mwangi and an accomplice, award-winning activist Agather Atuhaire, of sexually abusing them while they were being held, both of whom were detained.
Source: Aljazeera
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