Kenyan police killed at least 33 people and injured hundreds of others during post-election protests staged in some of the country’s opposition strongholds, according to a joint report from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The accusations come ahead of an election redo later this month that triggered renewed demonstrations.
The report includes accounts from victims, witnesses, and police officials, among others. In one instance, a relative of 26-year-old Thomas Odhiambo Okul said Okul died after police shot him in an alley outside his house. Other casualties detailed in the report include a 9-year-old girl who was shot while standing on a balcony and an 8-months pregnant woman who fainted from inhaling tear gas and was eventually trampled to death.
“Dozens of people were killed and many more left with life-altering injuries in attacks by the police against opposition supporters,” said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director. “This deadly use of excessive force has become a hallmark of police operations in Kenya and must be decisively stopped before the next election takes place.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta defeated opposition leader Raila Odinga in the country’s Aug. 8 presidential election. The Kenyan Supreme Court last month nullified the election, citing procedural irregularities, and ordered a new vote for Oct. 26.
Odinga pulled out of the…
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