Citizen TV Journalist Arrested
Seven people, including five human rights advocates and two journalists, were taken into custody in Marereni, close to Malindi, after a clash with police officers stationed at a roadblock.
Hussein Khalid, the Executive Director of Vocal Africa, reported that these seven individuals were insisting on the enforcement of a court ruling that required all police officers in public areas to wear uniforms and remove their face coverings.
He went on to name the seven individuals: Khelef Khalifa, Mathias Shipeta, Salma Hemed, Francis Auma, Atrash Mohammed, Rob Liban from Citizen TV, and Brian, a reporter for the Star newspaper.
Following their confrontation with the officers at the Marereni roadblock, they were taken to the Malindi Police Station.
In a video, Salma Hemed shared her experience of being stopped by the police in Marereni while returning from Momboni for what was supposed to be a routine check.
However, things quickly escalated when the special unit demanded to know their identities.
Hemed went on to explain that they were questioned about who had sent them to the area and ended up stuck at the roadblock for over an hour as tensions rose.
The police reportedly took their phones without providing any explanation for the initial stop. Concerned about losing time to reach their destination, Khalifa and his friends sought clarity on how to proceed.
The police were said to be unyielding, and when the group inquired if they were under arrest, the officers denied it, insisting they wait for their senior officers to arrive.
Hemed mentioned that they requested to be taken to the police station, but the police refused that as well. She added that by the time of the recording, they were finally on their way after receiving instructions from the senior officers, who had arrived much later, to report to the Malindi Police Station immediately.
Citizen TV Journalist Arrested
