By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Kenyan Government Reaches Settlement in High Profile Case
A Kenyan court has awarded 10 million shillings ($78,000; £61,000) in compensation to the widow of a prominent Pakistani journalist, Arshad Sharif, who was shot dead by police at a roadblock nearly two years ago.
Arshad Sharif, a TV anchor known for his outspoken criticism of Pakistan's powerful military leaders and political corruption, had received death threats which he reported to Pakistan's top judge before fleeing his home country in search of safety abroad. Two months later, he was killed by police in the Kenyan town of Kajiado, causing widespread outrage. The slow response by officials led to criticism from UN experts directed at both Kenya and Pakistan.
Kenyan police argued that Sharif’s death was a case of mistaken identity. However, Sharif's widow, Javeria Siddique, contended that it was a contract killing executed on behalf of an unnamed individual in Pakistan.
On Monday, the Kajiado High Court ruled that Kenyan authorities acted unlawfully and violated Sharif's right to life, awarding Ms. Siddique compensation plus interest until full payment. Justice Stella Mutuku, delivering the verdict, acknowledged that while the loss of life and the pain and suffering experienced by the family cannot be compensated monetarily, compensation is an appropriate remedy for the violation of fundamental rights.
The judge also ruled that Kenya's director of public prosecutions and the independent policing oversight authority had violated Sharif's rights by failing to prosecute the two police officers involved. The court ordered both bodies to conclude investigations and charge the officers.
Ochiel Dudley, the lawyer representing Ms. Siddique, hailed the ruling as a victory for the family and for Kenyans seeking police accountability. Ms. Siddique expressed gratitude to the Kenyan judiciary but emphasized that her quest for justice is not over.
"This ruling has come as a relief to me and my family, but I will not relent in getting maximum justice for my husband," she said.
Ms. Siddique, also a journalist, filed the lawsuit alongside the Kenya Union of Journalists and Kenya Correspondents Association last October, seeking transparency, an apology, and accountability from Kenyan authorities for what they described as Sharif's "targeted assassination."
She stated that while justice for her husband in Pakistan remains elusive, she will continue to campaign for the protection of journalists and will seek support from the UN and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
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