(NDIMA/IFEX) – Mohammed Sheikh, a journalist working for “The People” daily newspaper, was arrested and detained at a police station on Thursday 10 June 1999 for what the police termed “publishing an alarming article.” The journalist was picked up by police at about 11 a.m. (local time) in Garissa, a town in Kenya’s Eastern Province, […]
(NDIMA/IFEX) – Mohammed Sheikh, a journalist working for “The People” daily
newspaper, was arrested and detained at a police station on Thursday 10 June
1999 for what the police termed “publishing an alarming article.”
The journalist was picked up by police at about 11 a.m. (local time) in
Garissa, a town in Kenya’s Eastern Province, in connection with a story that
appeared in “The People” about a demonstration that took place in Garissa
the previous week.
The story, published on 5 June, alleged that a clique of powerful
politicians from the ruling party was funding clan clashes in Garissa which
had so far claimed five lives. It is suspected that the said politicians may
have masterminded the arrest fearing reprisals from the government.
The journalist, who was to appear in court on Monday 14 June, was moved from
the Garissa police station, where he had been held, to the Garissa prison on
the night of Friday 11 June. He complained of ill treatment by police
officers and also expressed fear for his life, saying he was being treated
“suspiciously” different from other inmates.
