'Torture has no place in a democracy': Rights groups demand justice for Otieno

Slain 19 year old Erick Otieno. [Courtesy] 

Rights groups have demanded an independent and transparent investigation into the death of Eric Otieno, a boda boda rider who died shortly after his release from Muthaiga Police Station.

The Social Justice Centres Working Group in a statement on Wednesday said all relevant investigative agencies must establish what happened to Otieno while he was in custody, warning that recurring deaths in police cells point to a disturbing pattern of abuse eroding public confidence in law enforcement.

Otieno, 20, was arrested on Saturday, August 1 on allegations of preparing to commit a felony.

He was released on cash bail the following day but died while being taken to hospital, according to police.

His family said they were called to collect him and rushed him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A postmortem established he died from massive internal haemorrhage caused by injuries to his organs, the rights group said.

"IPOA and KNCHR must immediately pronounce themselves on Erick Otieno's death. Silence in the face of such grave allegations only emboldens perpetrators and deepens public mistrust," the group said in a statement.

The group called on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to act swiftly and hold those responsible accountable.

It also urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to carry out a comprehensive investigation free from interference.

"Those responsible, regardless of rank, must be prosecuted and held personally accountable," the group added.

The rights defenders drew comparisons to the death of Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody at Nairobi's Central Police Station in June, and cited a separate case at the former Ruaraka Police Station where an officer commanding the station, now serving a prison sentence, tortured a man who had committed no offence.

"Torture has no place in a constitutional democracy," the group said, describing every death in custody as "a stain on the justice system."

The group said existing accountability mechanisms have failed to deter abuse.

"Citizens should never fear that entering a police station could become a death sentence," the statement read. "Erick Otieno deserves justice. His family deserves the truth."