High-profile Kenyan activist faces terror charges over anti-government protests
On Sunday, investigators said they had seized phones, a laptop, and notebooks from Mr Mwangi's Lukenya home on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, and hard drives, computers, tear gas canisters and a blank firearm round from his office in the city.
His arrest has sparked a wave of condemnation, with human rights groups denouncing it was aimed at suppressing opposition voices.
The activist has denied the accusations, saying in a post on X: "I am not a terrorist."
According to the Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mr Mwangi stands accused of "offences related to facilitation of terrorist acts and unlawful possession of ammunition".
The alleged offences are linked to the 25 June protests when, according to the state-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), 19 people died as demonstrators clashed with police. Hundreds were also injured and property and businesses were damaged.
In the aftermath, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen described the demonstrations as "terrorism disguised as dissent" and an "unconstitutional attempt" to change the government.
At least 38 more people were killed in subsequent protests earlier this month, the KNHCR has said.
Since June last year, more than 100 people have been killed in successive waves of anti-government protests, with police accused of using excessive force to quell unrest.
On Sunday, a coalition of 37 rights organisations condemned Mr Mwangi's arrest on "unjustified terrorism allegations", describing it as the "latest escalation in a systematic crackdown that has seen hundreds of young Kenyans detained on fabricated terrorism charges".
"What began as targeted persecution of young protesters demanding accountability has metastasized into a full-scale assault on Kenya's democracy," they said in a joint statement.
James Orengo, a veteran politician and governor of Siaya county, said it was "ridiculous to charge Boniface Mwangi and our children who have demonstrated a high level of political consciousness with terrorism".
Mr Mwangi has been detained multiple times in the past, and has been at the centre of many protests.
In May, he and a Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania, where they had travelled to attend the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is accused of treason.
Following their release several days later, both said they had been abducted, tortured and sexually assaulted. They have since filed a case at the regional East African Court of Justice over the matter.
You may also be interested in:
Is William Ruto the most disliked president in Kenya's history?
Why the death of a blogger has put Kenya's police on trial
'Shoot in the leg' - Kenyan leader orders police to curb violent protests
Are East African governments uniting to silence dissent?
BBC identifies security forces who shot Kenya anti-tax protesters
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
BBC Africa podcasts
Focus on Africa
This Is Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Brooklyn Activist Charged With Arson in Torching of 10 Police Vehicles
A pro-Palestinian activist who has clashed with police officers at demonstrations has been arrested and charged with arson after federal authorities said he sneaked onto a Brooklyn parking lot last month and set fire to 10 police vehicles. The man, Jakhi McCray, 21, was arrested Monday morning and appeared before Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail worth $300,000. After he was granted bail, Mr. McCray was brought by police officers to Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on state charges related to a protest he had attended, according to Ron Kuby, a lawyer for Mr. McCray. The details of that arrest were unclear to Mr. McCray's lawyers late Monday. Mr. Kuby said he expected his client to spend a night in police custody before returning to his family's home in Maplewood, N.J. 'It sounds like the police are just really angry at him for messing up their cars,' Mr. Kuby said. Mr. McCray, who is also a staunch critic of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, was backed by his mother and more than two dozen supporters in the courtroom, most of whom donned kaffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Several dozen more gathered in an overflow room. In a two-page statement released before his appearance, Mr. McCray railed against 'the brutality of state repression' and the 'kidnapping of migrants.' He claimed that police officers and media outlets had lied about him, and cited other people who had been arrested in connection with their presence at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In a news release, Joseph Nocella Jr., the interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said: 'Setting police vehicles ablaze is not a form of protest. It is a federal crime.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Pentagon orders 700 Marines to withdraw from Los Angeles as stability returns following ICE protests
The Department of Defense has ordered 700 U.S. Marines to leave Los Angeles, California on Monday, more than a month after they were deployed to the city against the will of city leaders and amid violent demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. The Trump administration deployed the 700 Marines and federalized roughly 4,000 National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in early June to quell anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots and protests. The Marines assigned to the area were limited to defending federal buildings, including the ICE office and detention facility in downtown LA. "With stability returning to Los Angeles, the Secretary has directed the redeployment of the 700 Marines whose presence sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said. "Their rapid response, unwavering discipline, and unmistakable presence were instrumental in restoring order and upholding the rule of law. We're deeply grateful for their service, and for the strength and professionalism they brought to this mission." The Pentagon's decision to have the Marines leave LA comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. LA Mayor Karen Bass called the withdrawal of troops "another win for Los Angeles." "This is another win for Los Angeles, but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform," Bass said on Monday. "Just this morning I stood with Veterans, families of active-duty officers, and business leaders to show the impact of this unnecessary, unprecedented, and unconstitutional assault on our city. We took the administration to court and won, now we continue that momentum with today's news. Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving." California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for deploying California National Guard troops despite his opposition. He argued that the National Guard troops were likely violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits troops from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. Newsom won an early victory in the case after a federal judge ruled the Guard deployment was illegal and exceeded Trump's authority. An appeals court tossed that order, and control of the troops remained with the federal government. The federal court is set to hear arguments next month on whether the troops are violating the Posse Comitatus Act. The deployment of National Guard troops was for 60 days, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had the discretion to shorten or extend it "to flexibly respond to the evolving situation on the ground," the Trump administration's lawyers wrote in a June 23 filing in the legal case.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Blair's fury with Chirac over Mugabe summit invite
Tony Blair bitterly accused French president Jacques Chirac of trying to undermine UK efforts to put pressure on Zimbabwe's dictatorial leader Robert Mugabe, according to newly released government files. Papers released by the National Archives show Mr Blair erupted with anger when he learned Mr Chirac was insisting the Zimbabwean president should be allowed to attend an EU-Africa summit due to be held in 2003. 'But this is the opposite of what he said to me,' he scrawled in a handwritten note after No 10 officials told him Mr Chirac feared South African president Thabo Mbeki would stay away from the gathering unless Mr Mugabe was invited. 'Ultimately if France wants to take the heat on this they can and probably they are using it to damage the UK's standing in Africa in the belief (mistaken) that Mugabe retains credibility. 'But we should be seen to do all we can to protest.' The row came as Zimbabwe was caught up in a worsening spiral of violence and economic collapse after Mr Mugabe instigated a violent campaign to drive the country's remaining white farmers from their lands. Mr Blair's Labour government was at the forefront of international efforts to pressurise Mr Mugabe to end the chaos, implement democratic reforms and restore the rule of law. The UK's intervention was, however, deeply resented by Mr Mugabe who argued that – as the former colonial power – Britain should be paying reparations to his country. As the situation worsened Mr Blair noted that they needed to be 'pretty fierce on Mugabe' if they were to make any progress. He was, however, warned by South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela that – as a veteran of Africa's struggles for liberation from colonial rule – Mr Mugabe still needed to be treated with respect. 'Despite the recent turmoil in Zimbabwe we must not forget that President Mugabe is a statesman who has made a major contribution not only to Zimbabwe's independence but to the liberation of southern Africa,' he wrote in a letter to the prime minister. 'He deserves our good will, support and advice. As friends we should be able to discuss the issue of land redistribution, the rule of law and violence frankly and constructively with him.' Meanwhile, efforts to foster better Anglo-French co-operation on Africa were hampered by a deep personal antipathy between Mr Chirac and Britain's international development secretary Clare Short. Sir John Holmes, Britain's ambassador to Paris, said Mr Chirac had taken him aside to complain that she was 'viscerally anti-French and 'insupportable''. He contrasted her attitude with the good working relationship French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine had enjoyed with his British counterpart Jack Straw and before him Robin Cook. 'Vedrine and Cook had worked well together, and Vedrine and Straw were continuing in the same vein. But Ms Short was impossible,' Sir John reported the French president as saying. 'He had not liked to raise this with the prime minister because they always had lots of other things to talk about, but we needed to know the position. In typical Chirac fashion, he laboured the point for several minutes.' When Sir John assured him that Ms Short's views had been 'transformed' in the light of a recent trip to the region by Mr Vedrine, the French president replied 'God be praised'.
