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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Kenyan authorities ordered to release lawyer detained in dawn raid | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| High court orders release as Uhuru Kenyatta’s government defies earlier order to lift ban on private television stations | |
| Jason Burke Africa correspondent | Jason Burke Africa correspondent |
| Fri 2 Feb 2018 14.34 GMT | Fri 2 Feb 2018 14.34 GMT |
| First published on Fri 2 Feb 2018 14.19 GMT | First published on Fri 2 Feb 2018 14.19 GMT |
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| Kenya’s high court has ordered authorities to release an opposition lawyer arrested on Friday, setting the scene for a new confrontation between the judiciary and Uhuru Kenyatta’s government. | Kenya’s high court has ordered authorities to release an opposition lawyer arrested on Friday, setting the scene for a new confrontation between the judiciary and Uhuru Kenyatta’s government. |
| Miguna Miguna was detained in a dawn raid on his Nairobi home, associates said. His current whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in police custody. | Miguna Miguna was detained in a dawn raid on his Nairobi home, associates said. His current whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in police custody. |
| There was no immediate reaction from officials to the court order but the government defied an earlier order to lift a ban on three private television stations that had covered the symbolic presidential inauguration of the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. | There was no immediate reaction from officials to the court order but the government defied an earlier order to lift a ban on three private television stations that had covered the symbolic presidential inauguration of the opposition leader, Raila Odinga. |
| Authorities cut live transmission of the country’s top three TV channels on Tuesday to prevent coverage of the ceremony, which government lawyers described as treason. | Authorities cut live transmission of the country’s top three TV channels on Tuesday to prevent coverage of the ceremony, which government lawyers described as treason. |
| Officials later declared the opposition’s National Resistance Movement an organised criminal group meaning members could face imprisonment up to 10 years. | Officials later declared the opposition’s National Resistance Movement an organised criminal group meaning members could face imprisonment up to 10 years. |
| Miguna has declared himself the “general” of the movement, and stood beside Odinga at Tuesday’s symbolic swearing in. | Miguna has declared himself the “general” of the movement, and stood beside Odinga at Tuesday’s symbolic swearing in. |
| The tensions come three months after Kenyatta won a further five-year term in a rerun that was triggered when the supreme court annulled the result of the presidential election in August because of irregularities. | The tensions come three months after Kenyatta won a further five-year term in a rerun that was triggered when the supreme court annulled the result of the presidential election in August because of irregularities. |
| Kenyatta won the rerun with 98% of the vote, but turnout was only 39% after the opposition boycotted the poll, saying it was neither free nor fair. | Kenyatta won the rerun with 98% of the vote, but turnout was only 39% after the opposition boycotted the poll, saying it was neither free nor fair. |
| Odinga dismissed the October election as “fake” and the supreme court was again asked to dismiss the result, but this time upheld Kenyatta’s victory. | Odinga dismissed the October election as “fake” and the supreme court was again asked to dismiss the result, but this time upheld Kenyatta’s victory. |
| This week’s arrests and broadcast bans are a shock to Kenyans who have grown used to the free-wheeling media and irreverent political culture that have grown since decades of autocratic rule ended in 2002. | This week’s arrests and broadcast bans are a shock to Kenyans who have grown used to the free-wheeling media and irreverent political culture that have grown since decades of autocratic rule ended in 2002. |
| The government’s failure to act on the court order over the TV ban raises questions about the rule of law in the country. | The government’s failure to act on the court order over the TV ban raises questions about the rule of law in the country. |
| Okiya Omtatah, an activist who secured the ruling, said it had not been served on Thursday afternoon because of a delay at the court registrar’s office. The order was also published in Friday’s edition of the Standard newspaper, one of Kenya’s largest dailies. | Okiya Omtatah, an activist who secured the ruling, said it had not been served on Thursday afternoon because of a delay at the court registrar’s office. The order was also published in Friday’s edition of the Standard newspaper, one of Kenya’s largest dailies. |
| “I am insisting on delivering this order,” Omtatah told Reuters news agency. “It’s an abuse of power. The laws are clear. That’s why the court ruled as they did.” | “I am insisting on delivering this order,” Omtatah told Reuters news agency. “It’s an abuse of power. The laws are clear. That’s why the court ruled as they did.” |
| The office of the UN high commissioner for human rights in Geneva said it was concerned at the government’s “attempts to interfere with the rights to freedom of expression”. | The office of the UN high commissioner for human rights in Geneva said it was concerned at the government’s “attempts to interfere with the rights to freedom of expression”. |
| On Thursday, the opposition politician who administered Odinga’s “oath”, Tom Kajwang, was released on bail a day after his arrest. | On Thursday, the opposition politician who administered Odinga’s “oath”, Tom Kajwang, was released on bail a day after his arrest. |
| Kenya | Kenya |
| Africa | Africa |
| news | news |
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