Kenya court acquits policeman of election killings
Date 2010/6/22 16:34:27 | Topic: Kenya
| 20100621
reuters
A Kenyan court acquitted and freed a policeman on Monday caught on camera apparently firing his rifle at two youths who were killed during post-election violence two years ago.
Human rights groups cited the deaths as an example of police brutality which they say was used to quell protests following a disputed poll at the end of 2007.
Over 1,300 people were killed during the violence and security forces are said to have committed hundreds of extra-judicial killings.
Constable Edward Kirui had been charged with killing George William Onyango and Ismael Chacha during political demonstrations in January 2008 in the western town of Kisumu. Footage showed the two had been in a group that had thrown stones at officers.
"The prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt ... that bullets found in the victims bodies ... match the gun used by the officer," said Judge Fred Ochieng in his judgement.
"It emerged that the police submitted for ballistics tests a different firearm from the one used to shoot the two rioters," the judge said before ordering the policeman freed.
No one has been convicted for any of the killings but the International Criminal Court plans to prosecute up to six people before the end of the year.
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