Arrested Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi faces terror charges
At least 19 people were killed during the 25 June demonstration against President William Ruto's government, which was itself called to pay tribute to victims of police violence at another protest on the same date last year.
Mwangi, who was arrested at his home near Nairobi, is being held at a police station in the capital and will be arraigned on Monday, Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on X.
The activist denies the charges, saying in a social media post shared by his supporters: 'I am not a terrorist.'
His detention triggered a wave of condemnation online, with the hashtag #FreeBonifaceMwangi going viral.
The search warrant police used to raid Mwangi's home, which an ally shared with journalists, accuses the campaigner of having paid 'goons' to stoke unrest at last month's protests.
Investigators said they had seized two mobile phones, a laptop and several notebooks from his home in Lukenya, east of the capital, plus hard drives, two more computers, two unused teargas canisters and a blank firearm cartridge from his office in Nairobi.
Since the start of the protest movement last year, Ruto has faced sharp criticism over a series of abductions and police violence.
Rights groups say more than 100 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests, which were harshly suppressed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US pauses visa processing at embassy in Niger, State Dept says
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The United States is pausing all routine visa services at U.S. embassy in Nigerien capital Niamey until further notice, according to a State Department spokesperson and an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters on Saturday. The July 25-dated cable did not provide a reason for the move but a State Department spokesperson said the pause, which would cover all immigrant and non-immigrant visa categories, was in place until Washington addressed "concerns with the Government of Niger." The spokesperson did not provide further details on the reason, but said that most diplomatic and official visas were excepted from the pause. "The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the Department spokesperson said. The diplomatic cable also instructed consular officers in other visa processing posts to apply "heightened scrutiny" when assessing non-immigrant visa applications for Nigerien nationals, whose overstay rates it said were 8 percent for visitor visas and 27 percent for student and exchange visas. Consular managers should make an effort to reduce the number of overstays by nonimmigrant visa holders in the United States, the cable said and added: "In this regard, particular vigilance is needed in adjudicating Nigerien NIV applicants." The U.S. embassy in Niamey has informed all individuals impacted, the spokesperson added. As part of his hardline stance on immigration, President Donald Trump has ordered a nationwide campaign to arrest migrants who are in the country illegally and has vowed to deport millions of people, executing raids at work sites including farms that were largely exempted from enforcement during his first term. Trump administration officials have said student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, calling their actions a threat to U.S. foreign policy and accusing them of being pro-Hamas. Rubio in May said the number of visas he has revoked was probably in the thousands. The State Department under his leadership significantly tightened social media vetting for U.S. visa applicants. The U.S. military in September said it had completed its withdrawal from Niger, after the West African nation's ruling junta in April 2024 ordered Washington to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country. It was an embarrassing setback for Washington that followed a coup last year in the West African nation. Before the coup, Niger had been a key partner in the U.S. fight against insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa, who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Colombia denounces mass deportation of citizens from Ecuador
BOGOTA, July 26 (Reuters) - Colombia's Foreign Ministry on Friday criticized Ecuador for deporting large numbers of Colombian citizens without a formal protocol, describing it as a "unfriendly gesture," while Quito said the removals followed legal procedures and upheld human rights standards. On Thursday, the Colombian government reported that authorities in the neighboring country had announced plans to deport Colombians currently imprisoned in various Ecuadorian penitentiaries. "Through diplomatic channels, Colombia has formally lodged its strongest protest against the Ecuadorian government for this unfriendly act, and is currently evaluating appropriate measures in response," the Foreign Ministry said Friday night. The ministry emphasized that Ecuador had taken this action "without implementing any protocol to guarantee the safe, orderly, and respectful transfer of detainees, in line with their human rights." Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had notified Colombia via diplomatic channels of individual deportation proceedings starting July 8, and that the process followed the country's legal framework. Authorities underscored their commitment to due process, citing the issuance of individual rulings and judicial release orders. "Ecuador therefore rejects claims of mass deportations," the ministry said. Meanwhile, Radio Caracol reported that Amilcar Pantoja, mayor of the Colombian border town of Ipiales, confirmed that around 700 Colombian detainees were being sent across the binational bridge without prior official notice.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Lover of dentist who murdered his wife on safari for her breaks her silence from jail
The lover of a married dentist who gunned down his wife during an African safari in order to be with her has broken her silence from behind bars. Lori Milliron, 67, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role as an accessory to the brutal murder of Bianca Rudolph, who was shot in the heart by her husband Lawrence 'Larry' Rudolph during a hunting trip in Zambia. The shocking case has now been featured in the new Hulu docuseries Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari, which argues the Pennsylvania dentist's own arrogance became his downfall. But his lover, who was accused of being his 'partner in crime ' still insists she she's not a killer. Speaking from prison in the ABC News Studios production, Milliron vehemently denies she pressured Rudolph into killing his wife of 34 years to be with her. 'There was no ultimatum. Why would I wait 15 years to give him an ultimatum? It just didn't make sense,' Milliron said over the prison phone in video obtained by Business Insider. Milliron and her lover were ultimately nabbed after a bar worker claimed he overheard Rudolph yell: 'I killed my f***ing wife for you' during an argument. 'I'm not violent. I didn't kill anybody. I didn't hurt anybody. But they really wanted to put me in jail,' Milliron said from jail. Speaking from prison in the ABC News Studios production, Milliron (pictured left with lover Larry Rudolph) vehemently denies she pressured Rudolph into killing his wife of 34 years to be with her Rudolph was charged in December 2021 for the murder. The 68-year-old claimed his wife accidentally shot herself while she was packing to head back home. He said he was in the bathroom when he heard his wife say, 'come here and help me' before hearing the shot and finding his wife on the floor bleeding. 'The police did an investigation and they said it was an accident,' Milliron said. 'Everyone believed that it was an accident, so I assumed it was an accident as well.' After Bianca's death, her dentist husband fraudulently claimed $4.8 million in life insurance payouts. During his trial, the prosecution told jurors that Rudolph was overheard blurting out: 'I killed my f***ing wife for you!' during an argument with Milliron at a Phoenix steakhouse in 2020, after he learned that the FBI was investigating his wife's death. Rudolph has denied confessing to his wife's killing. Rudolph claimed what he actually said was, 'Now they're saying I killed my f***ing wife for you.' He said he and Milliron were having an argument about their finances and how the COVID-19 pandemic would affect the Pennsylvania dental franchise that had made him a small fortune. But he was irritated because he said his top concern was the FBI's probe. A jury of six men and six women sided with prosecutors - who believed the dentist pre-planned to kill his wife of 34 years in cold blood to begin a new life with Milliron. Milliron was found guilty by the same jury of being an accessory after the fact to murder, obstruction of a grand jury. She was also convicted of providing false and misleading testimony to a grand jury about the money and the nature of the relationship with Rudolph. Milliron was found not guilty on three other counts of perjury. During the hearing, she told the judge that she was innocent of the crimes, but the judge proclaimed that the lengthy sentence was deserved based on the evidence that Milliron encouraged the heinous act.
