Kenya: Journalists attacked by police during protest in Nairobi

Several journalists were attacked and brutalized by police on June 25 while covering nationwide protests in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Parliament was debating a bill to increase taxes. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), together with its member organization, the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), condemns this police brutality against journalists who were only doing their jobs and calls on the authorities to respect press freedom.

Collins Olunga, journalist at AFP in Nairobi, suffered An injury was caused by a tear gas grenade thrown at him by the police and he was taken to a hospital. Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) photographer John Omido, was sprayed with water mixed with harmful chemicals, an effective mixture that was used to disperse protesters. Jutus Mwangi of The standard was rounded up, brutally dragged into a police vehicle and later thrown from the speeding vehicle. Maureen Muthoni of the Nation Media Group was injured and arrested.

The protest was organized to demonstrate resistance against a planned Finance Actwhich aims to raise an additional $2.7 billion in taxes as part of efforts to reduce Kenya’s high debt.

The KUJ, a subsidiary of the IFJ, specified that the union “shocked by the unprecedented violence used by the police against journalists deployed by media houses to inform citizens about the nationwide protests against the law”.

The statement added that the Kenyan government had threatened to shut down the Kenya television network in an attempt to suppress the media and prevent journalists from doing their work. Senior officials of the Communications Authority (CA) ordered television signal providers to switch off KTN because the station was broadcasting images of protesters storming Parliament.

IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger said the police’s arbitrary attacks on journalists covering the protests were a targeted attack on press freedom and a shameful attempt to deny Kenyan citizens access to information. “Every government in a democratic state has a duty to defend press freedom and guarantee the safety and independence of journalists and media workers. The Kenyan government must launch an investigation into the brutality against journalists and ensure that those responsible are arrested and brought to justice.”