Rights group urges investigation into death of Kenya activist in police custody News
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Rights group urges investigation into death of Kenya activist in police custody

Amnesty International called Sunday for investigation into the death of Kenyan political activist and blogger Albert Ojwang while in police detention, urging improvements in transparency and accountability within Kenya’s law enforcement agencies.

According to a press statement by the National Police Service of Kenya (NPS), Ojwang hit his head against the wall and sustained head injuries while in custody. He was pronounced dead on arrival after being transferred to the hospital. Speaking to the BBC, the director of Amnesty International’s Kenya branch said that the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death were “very suspicious.”

The statement asserts that Ojwang was lawfully arrested and transferred to the Central Police Station of Nairobi for “false publication,” contravening sections 22 and 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018. Speaking to the local news site Citizen TV Kenya, Ojwang’s father said that he had “insulted a senior person on X,” the social media platform.

Ojwang’s death comes amidst a government crackdown on civil society in Kenya. Last year, the Kenya Human Rights Commission condemned the government for disregarding the constitution, citing cases of extrajudicial killing and arbitrary arrest. Following a series of nationwide protests against a controversial finance bill, the global civil society alliance CIVICUS identified 20 human rights defenders who were reported missing. Last week, Rose Njeri, a Kenyan software developer and digital activist, was similarly detained incommunicado and without reason.

Amnesty International called for the matter to be “urgently, thoroughly, and independently investigated” by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. According to the NPS, the IPOA has already commenced an investigation into the incident.