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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 16 august 2017

Kenya accused of intimidating rights groups after election

By TOM ODULA rigging. Odinga had been
Associated Press expected to make a state-
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — ment Tuesday but put it off
Kenya’s government is at- until Wednesday instead.
tempting to intimidate civil This is not the first time Ke-
society groups, including nya’s government has tried
a respected human rights to de-register the rights
organization, that an- group for allegedly failing
nounced anomalies in last to pay tax and conceal-
week’s election in which ing funds, the executive
President Uhuru Kenyatta director of the Kenya Hu-
win a second term, activists man Rights Commission,
said Tuesday. George Kegoro, said in a
Kenya’s oversight body for statement. He called the
non-governmental orga- allegations false and said
nizations announced late his group had received
Monday it had de-regis- no formal communication
tered the independent Ke- from the NGO Coordina-
nya Human Rights Commis- tion Board.
sion. Its leader was among On Tuesday, the NGO
the few election observers board asked police to ar-
to announce it had found rest directors of the African
anomalies in the vote. Center for Open Gover-
The country’s election nance, a non-governmen- Young Kenyan men hang out in front of closed shops in Nairobi’s Kibera slum Monday, Aug. 14,
commission has said Presi- tal organization that also 2017. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga urged his supporters to skip work on Monday to
dent Uhuru Kenyatta won was involved in monitoring protest what he charged were rigged elections that gave victory to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The
with 54 percent of the vote, the elections. In a letter government denounced violent demonstrations as unlawful and urged Kenyans to return to their
beating top opposition to police, the NGO board jobs.
challenger Raila Odinga claimed that Africorg is (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
by around 1.4 million votes. not registered. Africorg A former expert for the Unit- association, Maina Kiai, to present a petition chal-
Odinga has rejected the could not immediately be ed Nations on the rights to said civil society groups lenging the presidential
outcome, claiming vote- reached for comment. freedom of assembly and are considering whether elections.q

Zimbabwe’s first lady accused of assault in South Africa

By KRISTA MAHR talking with the suspect’s a hotel room in an upscale 20-year-old woman reg- Mugabe, 52, was in South
Associated Press lawyers. Johannesburg suburb. istered “a case of assault Africa seeking medical at-
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The The case draws yet more She claims the first lady’s with intent to do grievous tention.
wife of Zimbabwe’s presi- attention to the increas- bodyguards stood by and bodily harm” on Monday, It was not clear Tuesday
dent has been accused of ingly outspoken wife of watched as Mugabe at- but said the suspect could night whether Mugabe was
assaulting a young woman the world’s oldest head tacked her. not be named as she had still in South Africa or had
at an upscale hotel in South of state, 93-year-old Presi- Engels posted several pho- not yet appeared in court. returned to Zimbabwe.
Africa, though she did not dent Robert Mugabe. Last tos on social media show- “The investigation into this “If she went back, I just
show up for court Tuesday month she challenged her ing a gash in her forehead, case has already reached hope the police can do
as police had indicated. husband publicly for the which she called a result of an advanced stage,” a po- something to get her back,”
It was not immediate- first time to name a succes- the alleged encounter. lice statement on Tuesday Engels told The Associated
ly clear where Grace sor, positioning herself as a “She flipped and just kept said. It was unclear wheth- Press. “I don’t want her to
Mugabe was. Minister of possibility as his advanced beating me with the plug. er Mugabe would qualify get away with this.”
Police Fikile Mbalula said age takes a toll ahead of Over and over,” Engels for diplomatic immunity She said she had recently
in a video posted by local next year’s election. told local news channel if charges are brought met the Mugabe brothers
broadcaster eNCA that she Twenty-year-old model Ga- News24. “I had no idea against her. and that mutual friends in-
had handed herself over to briella Engels has accused what was going on. I was There was no immediate vited her to hang out at the
police. But a police spokes- Grace Mugabe of assault- surprised . I needed to comment by Zimbabwe’s hotel. She said the broth-
man, Vishnu Naidoo, later ing her Sunday night while crawl out of the room be- government or ruling party. ers were not in the room
said no arrest had been she was visiting mutual fore I could run away.” Zimbabwean press report- the night of the alleged
made and police were friends of Mugabe’s sons in Police confirmed that a ed earlier this week that assault.q