Kenya’s police chief has suspended the pinnacle of a police station and all officers who have been on responsibility on the time when a person who had been detained for “false publication” died in custody.
Albert Ojwang was arrested for a publish on X within the western city of Homa Bay after which pushed 350km (220 miles) to the capital, Nairobi, his father Meshack Opiyo informed journalists.
“Whereas in custody, the suspect sustained head accidents after hitting his head in opposition to a cell wall,” a police assertion mentioned. He was rushed to hospital “the place he was pronounced useless on arrival”.
The director of rights group Amnesty Worldwide’s Kenya department informed the BBC that the dying of Mr Ojwang was “very suspicious”.
Amnesty mentioned in a press release that the dying of the younger man, described as a instructor and blogger, “raises critical questions that have to be urgently, totally, and independently investigated”.
Senior police officer Stephen Okal is quoted by the Star newspaper as saying what occurred within the cell was “an tried suicide”.
It isn’t clear what the cost of “false publication” referred to, however Mr Opiyo informed on-line information web site Citizen Digital that the arresting police officer mentioned “Albert had insulted a senior individual on X”, the social media platform.
A police assertion launched in a single day mentioned officers have been suspended to permit Kenya’s unbiased oversight physique to conduct an “neutral investigation”.
The dying of Mr Ojwang, who was reported to have been 31, has sparked outrage on-line and requires protests to demand police accountability.
Referring to the circumstances of his arrest, Amnesty Worldwide Kenya director Irungu Houghton mentioned it was “fairly stunning” that Mr Ojwang was not booked in on the native police station after being detained, however was as an alternative taken on a protracted journey.
He known as on the unbiased investigators to safe what he described as “the crime scene” on the police station in Nairobi.
The police mentioned that Mr Ojwang was “lawfully arrested”.
His detention and dying comes at a time of rising concern about how some authorities critics are being handled.
Final week, software program developer Rose Njeri – who created a device to assist individuals oppose a authorities finance invoice – was charged with violating a cybercrime legislation.
