NAIROBI, Kenya, May 3 – Four Kenyan filmmakers arrested following BBC’s ‘Blood Parliament’ documentary have been released on free bond.
According to their lawyer Ian Mutiso, “their devices have however not been returned to them.”
“Yesterday I was able to follow up on this arrest at Pangani Police Station. I personally called the regional commander and other officers who gave me details on their arrest,” he stated.
“I want to appreciate the Defenders Coalition and Vocal Africa, which are the two organisations that were ready to assist and ensure that the cashbail had been posted incase it was needed.”
They had been arrested on Friday night and booked for “false publication” charges.
Lawyer and Human Rights activist Hussein Khalid of Vocal Africa too said “the filmmakers were being held in Pangani and Muthaiga Police Stations.” “It seems this government has panicked and is making school kid mistakes. They are inviting people back to the streets.”
Police have not commented on the arrests. When the documentary was released last week, a planned community screening was blocked, sparking public outrage.
The BBC report singled out police officers believed to have killed three protestors after analysing over 5,000 images to piece together the sequence of events on June 25, 2024.
Members of Parliament condemned BBC for the documentary, with some saying the broadcaster was pushing a foreign agenda. “BBC is funded by taxpayers’ money in Britain, meaning that it is funded to push the foreign agenda internationally. We want to know if the BBC is speaking as a mouthpiece of the government and the people of Britain or what it is doing,” said Dagoreti MP John Kiarie.
Kiarie claimed the BBC documentary is out to arm-twist the Kenyan government to rescind the condition placed by parliament that the British Army soldiers who commit crimes in the country must be charged locally.
“Could it be an attempt to arm-twist this country so that they can rescind the rider that we put on the training of BATUK units in Kenya and perpetuate a history of extractive economy, oppressive and exploitative economy in an unfair trade balance between Kenya and the UK?”, he’d said.
But others lawmakers like Millie Odhiambo of Suba North constituency called for thorough investigations and said the government should not seek to gag the press.
“I think we have not handled the issue well, and that is why people are coming from outside to document the events of that day. We do not need the BBC to tell us that something is wrong. We have a very angry young generation and we cannot bury our heads in the sand,” she said adding, “We think we are moving on but there are many young people who have not necessarily moved on. I appeal that we set up a select committee to deal with the the after effect of the Finance Bill 2024.”
“A screening of BBC Africa Eye’s ‘Blood Parliament in Kenya’ was cancelled due to pressure from the authorities,” a BBC spokesperson said.
The documentary also renewed calls for the arrest of the police officers behind the brutality witnessed during the protests.
