Kenya's human rights body says Arshad Sharif's murder was planned

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 18 November 2022

The killing of Arshad Sharif has been classified as a planned murder by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Concerns about law enforcement's explanations have been raised.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Friday declared the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif a "planned murder."

A report on BBC Urdu said that Martin Mavinjina, a special advisor to the head of the commission, told Pakistan's Geo TV that it was a planned murder.

Sharif was killed in Kenya on October 23.

"It is now very clear that he (Arshad) was under a scanner and that the killers were looking for the right opportunity," he said. "But the question is that how come security agencies came to know that Arshad was present in a particular area."

He rejected the assertion of the Kenyan police that it was a case of mistaken identity. Mavinjina also questioned the police version regarding the vehicle in which Sharif was traveling.

Photo credit: Javeria Siddiqui

KEY POINTS:

• Kenya National Commission on Human Rights labels murder as planned
• Sharif was killed on October 23 in Kenya
• Official questions police claims of mistaken identity
• Concerns about security agencies' knowledge of Sharif's location
• Criticism of the police's account of the incident