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Elite Kenyan Police Unit on Trial for Alleged Assassination of Pakistani Journalist Arshad Sharif

Journalist Arshad Sharif, who fled Pakistan after criticizing powerful military leadership, was shot at a Kenyan checkpoint in case of "mistaken identity," reopened by his widow and Kenyan journalists' unions alleging it was a premeditated act planned in Pakistan.

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Overview

  • An elite Kenyan police unit, the General Service Unit (GSU), is on trial for the assassination of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif. The case opened at the Kajiado High Court, with petitioners, including Sharif's widow, alleging that the death was premeditated in Pakistan.
  • After initially expressing regret and labeling the incident as 'mistaken identity', Kenyan police are now accused of failing to prosecute the officers involved. The plaintiffs are demanding a public apology to Sharif's family.
  • Arshad Sharif, a critic of Pakistan's military leadership, fled Pakistan in 2022 to escape arrest on charges of maligning national institutions and lived in hiding in Kenya. After being shot at a checkpoint, a later investigation by Pakistani officials classified his killing as a 'planned assassination'.
  • In addition to Sharif's widow, the Kenya Union of Journalists and the Kenya Correspondents Association have been listed as joint petitioners. Their pursuit of justice is being aided by Ochiel Dudley, the lawyer representing Sharif's family.
  • In Islamabad, police have charged two Pakistanis residing in Kenya, who hosted Sharif during his stay in the country, with complicity in his killing. This prominent case has attracted international criticism from various rights groups.