Kenya police have detained a pathologist hired by the state-run rights watchdog to probe claims that security forces tortured civilians during a crackdown on tribal militia, an official said on Sunday.
Walter Nalianya was arrested for the second time on Saturday following his contribution to the Kenyan National Human Rights Commission’s May report that called for the prosecution of the defence minister and eight top security officials over the alleged torture.
Nalianya, being held in the western town of Eldoret, conducted pathology tests on 26 victims of the security operation launched in March against the rebel group that took up arms to resist a government resettlement scheme.
”They [police] are claiming that by examining the victims he acted as a private doctor,” said Hassan Omar Hassan, the rights’ group vice-chairperson.
”We are a public body,” he said. ”The report that we released was a report by the government of Kenya and is protected by law.”
Hassan explained that the pathology results were ”consistent with claims of torture reported by victims”.
Kenya’s security forces and the rebel group have been accused of abuses by several local and international rights groups, but police have denied committing crimes in the operation.
Last month, New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the Kenyan government to account for dozens of people missing after the operation.
The government says the crackdown has crippled the rebel group that operated in the western Mount Elgon region and which was accused by rights groups of killing more than 600 people since 2006. — Sapa-AFP