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Leading journalists
threatened with same fate as murdered opposition MP
30 January 2008
Reporters Without Borders urges the Kenyan authorities to use all
necessary means to quickly identify and punish those responsible
for the death threats sent to leading journalists in Nairobi
yesterday, hours after an opposition Orange Democratic Movement
parliamentarian was murdered.
“These threats must be taken seriously because the killers have
already followed through on their threats once with an opposition
legislator,” the press freedom organisation said. “Kenya’s
journalists have behaved very responsibly since the start of the
unrest and we will not stand for their being treated like this. We
express our solidarity with those who have been threatened and
their fellow journalists.”
At least five journalists received email threats yesterday, after
the previous night’s murder of ODM parliamentarian Melitus Mugabe
Were. Linus Kaikai, managing editor of TV station KTN, Kipkoech
Tanui, managing editor of The Standard newspaper, Joseph Odindo,
managing editor of the Nation Media Group, Robert Nagila, a
journalist with NTV, and Paul Ilado, a journalist radio Kiss FM
and political news editor of the Nairobi Star newspaper, all got
the same message accusing them of helping to plunge Kenya into
violence.
Claiming to come from the Mungiki, an underground Kikuyu sect
feared for its especially barbaric murders, the message said :
“Today we invaded Woodley Estate. You are going to see what
happens to you.” Were was shot outside his home in the Nairobi
neighbourhood of Woodley Estate. The journalists reported the
threats to police headquarters in Nairobi.
Ilado previously got anonymous threatening phone calls on 25
January after writing an article for the Nairobi Star about 10 NGO
leaders forced to live in hiding for fear of reprisals. After
turning off his mobile phone, he continued for several days to get
threatening messages saying he would be “beheaded” and giving
details about his home and car.
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