Human rights want body of youth killed exhumed

Human Rights wants the body of Shafi Salim Shafi exhumed and a postmortem done.Shafi was allegedly killed by police at Mwembe Kuku, Mvita, on Tuesday.

Police claimed that he was a criminal but a family member swore an affidavit and said they will neither seek legal redress nor conduct a postmoterm.

“It is my humble request your kind office/hospital release the body to the family for purpose of burial. We do not intend to take any legal action or ask for any compensation,” the affidavit sworn by one Swabra Hussein Ahmed read.

“We as the family have decided the body does not undergo any postmoterm or body stored at the morgue as per Islamic Sharia.”

Muhuri rapid response officer Francis Auma and chairman Khelef Khalifa at IPOA offices in Mombasa on December 3, 2019,/ ERNEST CORNEL.

Family and friends buried Shafi at Kikowani cemetery on Wednesday at 1pm.

But Muhuri chairman Khelef Khalifa on Thursday said the lobby will pursue the case as a matter of public interest.

This means no consent from the family will be needed.Muhuri wants to know whether the shooting was done at close range.

“If it’s at close range, it means police had the opportunity to arrest Shafi but didn’t. This will be premeditated murder,” Khalifa said.

The chairman said through the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and Independent Medical Legal Unit, Muhuri will seek court orders to have the body exhumed.

Ipoa has started recording statements from witnesses.“By law, in any police killing, there must be an inquest to establish the motive of the killing. Any investigation that does not touch on postmortem is incomplete,” Khalifa said.

The chairman said government pathologist Johansen Oduor and other private practitioners will be involved in the postmortem.

He said police officers must be held to account.

“Also, if the report of the killing was sent to police seniors and no action was taken, then the bosses are part of a conspiracy to the shooting and killing,” Khalifa said.

Khalifa said the Shafi should have been arrested because, based on a witness’s account, he had allegedly surrendered.

Abdulrahman Maki, who was with Shafi when he was killed, has been charged with narcotics possession.

Maki was arrested on Tuesday night and taken to Central police station.

He pleaded not guilty and was released on an Sh150,000 bond.Police said he was caught with six sachets of heroine worth Sh2,100.

Maki said he and Shafi were ambushed by police while outside the latter’s shop in Mwembe Kuku.

Fourteen police, majority in plain clothes, approached them, he said.

 

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