Slain journalist Arshad Sharif's spouse initiates legal action against Kenyan police
Pakistan
Slain journalist Arshad Sharif's spouse initiates legal action against Kenyan police
(Web Desk) – Javeria Siddique, the spouse of slain journalist Arshad Sharif, has filed a case against the Kenyan Elite police unit, accusing them of her husband's murder in Kenya, a private media outlet has reported.
In her legal petition, Javeria has named the Kenyan attorney general, the national police service of the country and the director of public prosecution as the respondents, imploring that those responsible for her husband’s killing face trial and be held accountable for their actions.
Javeria has requested the court to instruct the Kenyan attorney general to issue a formal apology to Sharif's family within seven days of the court's orders, admit to the facts of the case, take responsibility and issue a public written apology.
"I have registered a case in Nairobi to seek justice for my husband's murder. We have filed the case against the general service unit of Kenya, as they publicly committed the crime and then acknowledged it as a case of mistaken identity. However, I believe it was a targeted murder. The Kenyan government has never apologized or contacted us," Javeria was quoted as having said, confirming the filing of the case.
The case registration follows reports that the five Kenyan police officers involved in the killing have quietly resumed their duties without any punitive action taken against them.
Nine months after the journalist's murder at a roadblock in a remote area of the East African nation, the five police officers implicated in the heinous act continue to enjoy full police privileges and their suspensions appear to have been merely a cover-up by the Kenyan authorities.
According to a reliable source in the Kenyan security apparatus, the five officers engaged in the fatal shootout are back on active duty, with two of them even receiving promotions to senior positions.
Despite the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA) of Kenya pledging to provide an update on Sharif's murder within weeks, the findings of their investigation have not been made public for over nine months.
Arshad Sharif arrived in the Kenyan capital on August 20 and tragically lost his life on October 23 the following year in a shootout, with his driver, Khurram Ahmad, miraculously surviving.
The 49-year-old journalist had fled Pakistan in August to avoid arrest, as he faced multiple charges, including sedition, due to an interview he conducted with Shahbaz Gill, a former aide of the PTI chairman.
