Kampala, July 8, 2024 — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) welcomes a Kenyan court’s ruling on Monday. Stating that Kenyan authorities violated Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif’s right to life and that his death was arbitrary and unconstitutional.
“CPJ welcomes the Kenyan High Court’s ruling that the 2022 killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was unlawful,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa program, in New York. “While the verdict marks an important step towards ending impunity in this case, Kenyan authorities should ensure that genuine justice is achieved by prosecuting those responsible for Arshad’s fatal shooting.”
Police shot and killed Sharif on the night of October 23, 2022, in a remote area outside Nairobi, Kenya. The police claimed it was a case of mistaken identity. Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique, who sued the Kenyan government, believes her husband was targeted for his journalism. Sharif fled to Kenya in August 2022 after receiving death threats over his reporting on corruption in Pakistan.
The Kajiado County High Court awarded Sharif’s family 10 million Kenyan shillings (US $78,000) in damages but suspended the payment for 30 days to allow the government to appeal.
Siddique’s lawyer, Dudley Ochiel, told CPJ that the court’s decision was a “great precedent for police accountability” and the “timing could not be better.”
CPJ’s requests for comment from Kenya’s Attorney General Justin Muturi. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Kenyan police, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) have not responded immediately.
