Inalilahi waina ilahi rajiun, Ol Donyo Sabuk, which translates “mountain of the big rain.” The area is called Kilimambogo, where two bodies were discovered in April. The two decomposed bodies could not have raised any eyebrows. In any case, it was not the first time a body was being discovered at the river cutting through Kilimambogo. But this was a unique scene. Police had seen marks of torture on one of the bodies. The body that had bruises on the hands and legs was that of Ibrahim Mohammed, 25, who doctors say was in good health with a normal cardiovascular system, normal kidney, ureter, urinary bladder, spleen and brain. Days before his body was discovered about 180km from his home, locals and relatives knew that the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers picked Mohammed from his house in Garissa. New concerns Mohammed’s death has raised new concerns about ATPU’s possible clandestine activities. ATPU is a team of Kenya’s specially trained officers hunting down suspected terrorists who are being blamed for extra-judicial killings and disappearances. In this part of our Investigative Series, Cops Gone Wild, we use the case of Mohammed’s death to highlight how the global “war on terror”has legalised a culture of impunity among Kenyan police. Mohammed was arrested in April during an ongoing police operation aimed at finding those responsible for the recent incidents of insecurity in Garissa town. The operation, carried out by the GSU and members of the Rapid Deployment Unit and Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, caused panic in the town with many residents abandoning their homes to settle on the outskirts of the town. Mohammed was one of those arrested in the Garissa security swoop. April 18 is listed as the day of Mohammed’s death with the entry of his place of death indicated as unknown. His father Mohammed Ali and cousin Abdi Shukri identified his body. “When I looked at my son’s body, I almost collapsed,” his father said. Dr Eric Thuo, a forensic expert, who first examined the body, said it had “multiple bruises on the back, buttocks, legs and shoulders.”
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 09:41:46 +0000