Three Kenyan police held over rights lawyer's murder

Nairobi (AFP) - Three Kenyan police officers will be charged with the murder of three men, including a lawyer who criticised police abuse, the national police chief said Friday.

"There is circumstantial evidence to link the three officers to the murder of the three. They will face charges including murder,” said police chief Joseph Boinnet, adding that the suspects have been arrested.

The bodies of lawyer, Willie Kimani, his client Josephat Mwenda and driver Joseph Muiruri, who disappeared on June 23, were found on Friday by a riverbank in a Nairobi suburb.

When the authorities found his body, Kimani's wrists were bound with rope, three of his fingers had been chopped off and his eyes appeared to have been gouged out.

Kimani, a young human rights lawyer with the US legal aid group International Justice Mission (IJM), had a short but impressive track record defending political prisoners and victims of state abuse.

His client Mwenda had accused the police of harassing and intimidating Mwendwa in a bid to have him withdraw a complaint against a senior officer with the local Administration Police unit who he says shot him without provocation during a traffic stop in April 2015.

Kimani's body was identified by friend and fellow lawyer Duncan Kinuthia.

"The bodies are in a very bad state and it seems they were tortured a lot before they were killed," said Kinuthia.

- 'A dark day for Kenya' -

Kenyan authorities had announced Friday an order for the arrest of three police officers in connection with the case.

The president of the national lawyers' association the Law Society of Kenya said it was "a dark day for the rule of law in Kenya".

"Our worst fears are confirmed. Advocates and citizens are at risk of elimination by police death squads," said Isaac Okero.

Kenyan lawyers had protested outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday as a group of 11 human rights organisations issued a statement accusing police of abducting the three men.

"There is strong evidence indicating that Willie and his colleagues were unlawfully detained at the Syokimau [Administration Police] Camp for a period of time," the statement said.

Kenya's police force has been accused in the past of running hit squads targeting those -- including human rights activists and lawyers -- investigating allegations of police rights abuses.

Boinnet insisted that the behaviour of the three arrested officers"is not a representative of the national police," rejecting claims that death squads were operating within the force.

"These are rogue officers," he assured.

Foreign envoys in Nairobi issued a joint statement voicing concern at the murders.

"Holding police officers accountable for violations of human rights and other forms of misconduct is vital to end impunity in the police service and to establish safety and security for all Kenyans," said the statement, signed by head of missions from Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.