Kenyan civilian shot at close range by police during protests dies

NAIROBI – The Kenyan antheral who was shot astatine adjacent range by a constabulary serviceman during caller protests implicit a blogger's decease successful custody has died, his household said Monday.

The household spokesperson, Emily Wanjira, said Boniface Kariuki died connected Monday afternoon, a time aft doctors astatine the nationalist referral infirmary successful Nairobi declared him brain-dead.

An Associated Press lensman captured the moment erstwhile the constabulary serviceman changeable Kariuki successful the head. Kariuki held a bundle of look masks and appeared to beryllium a vendor and bystander during the protests implicit the death of blogger Albert Ojwang.

That death, and the shooting of Kariuki, reignited choler successful Kenya implicit the longstanding contented of constabulary brutality.

Two constabulary officers person been arrested implicit the shooting of Kariuki connected June 17.

Six people, including 3 constabulary officers, person been charged with the decease of Ojwang successful custody. An earlier study by constabulary indicated that the blogger banged his caput connected the wall, but a pathologist’s study refuted the claims that his injuries were self-inflicted.

Human rights groups person agelong called for enactment implicit amerciable arrests, detentions and torture of authorities critics successful Kenya. President William Ruto has vowed to extremity constabulary brutality and said nary enforced disappearances would hap during his administration.

But Ruto's interior minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, past week told constabulary to “shoot connected sight” anyone who approaches constabulary stations during protests. The bid came aft 5 constabulary stations were torched.

Murkomen added that constabulary should not tally unless the assemblage is bigger than 20 people, citing “orders from above” without giving details.

The Kenya Law Society condemned the remarks, saying it was amerciable and “any unjustified usage of unit would beryllium deemed a premeditated crime.”

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