
Police Abuse Of Power
Around the world, in many places, police not only fail to protect vulnerable people from violence, but they are perpetuating the cycle of brutality and violence themselves.
1 in 3 people in Kenya experienced police abuse or harassment last year.
IJM Kenya works to combat police abuse of power.
In Kenya, police officers can abuse their positions by taking advantage of the people they have taken oath to serve and protect. While most police officers take their pledge seriously - in many instances, police not only fail to protect vulnerable people from violence but are perpetrators themselves.
Without a lawyer, the innocent person will often wait years for freedom. In the case of extrajudicial killings, surviving family members have started speaking out, demanding an investigation and the delivery of justice. For years, police could expect to get away with these crimes.
In 2016, an IJM lawyer was killed by police.
Willie Kimani, a lawyer for IJM Kenya, was murdered along with his client, Josephat Mwenda and driver, Joseph Muiruri, in Nairobi in June 2016. At the time, Kimani started working on Josephat's case after he had been shot and injured by police.
Over six years on, we're as committed as ever to seek justice for the victims of police abuse of power.
What is police abuse of power and how does it happen?
Help stop police abuse of power
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SOURCES:
[1] Open Society Foundations. Pretrial Detention and Torture: Why Pretrial Detainees Face the Greatest Risk.
[2] Independent Policing Oversight Authority. Baseline Survey on Policing Standards and Gaps in Kenya.
[3] Open Society Justice Initiative. Pretrial Detention and Torture: Why Pretrial Detainees Face the Greatest Risk.
[4] Ibid