UN Letter Exposes Kenya Police Glitch in Arshad Sharif Murder Probe
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a worldwide organization advocating for human rights, has supported a ‘persistent’ letter from the United Nations addressed to the governments of Kenya and Pakistan concerning the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif.
On Wednesday, the group urged for an impartial global inquiry into the homicide, referencing two communications from two UN special rapporteurs addressed to the respective governments.
RSF alleged that both administrations were unhelpful in the inquiry, exacerbating the suppression of press freedom.
RSF stated that the letters issued by the UN posed relevant inquiries regarding the reasons behind the lack of success in the investigations.
It also alleged that the Pakistani government had made threats against Sharif and other journalists who were critical of the regime.
“(There was) a distinct lack of clarity as to why the investigations have not yet been successful and the perpetrators brought to justice,” read a letter from the rapporteurs.
RSF, conversely, expressed its disapproval of the numerous discrepancies and prejudices in the investigations conducted in Kenya and Pakistan, along with the insufficient collaboration between both nations in their haphazard attempts to pinpoint those accountable. These findings align with the apprehensions highlighted by the United Nations.
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Arnaud Froger, the leader of RSF’s investigative department, emphasized the call for justice and described the letters from the UN written in October 2023 as unambiguous.
“The letters from the UN experts are unequivocal. There has been a clear lack of will on the part of both Kenya and Pakistan to establish the precise circumstances of this journalist’s murder and identify those responsible,” Froger stated.
“At this stage, the preliminary investigation in Kenya has been botched and the investigation by the Pakistani security services has been very one-sided. Given the presumed involvement of the security forces of both countries in this murder, only an independent international investigation would be able to establish the facts. This is what RSF fervently seeks.”
Sharif met his demise in Kenya in October 2022 after leaving his home country in South Asia, where he was known for voicing criticisms against the government.
Initial police investigations indicated that the journalist was shot by officers of Kenyan law enforcement along Magadi Road, resulting in him receiving 12 gunshot injuries.
Pakistani Detectives concluded that the journalist was tortured by his captors for hours before his death in August 2023.
UN Letter Exposes Kenya Police Glitch in Arshad Sharif Murder Probe
