Thousands protest in Kenya against police raids

About 3,000 opposition supporters and human rights activists marched Tuesday in downtown Nairobi to protest last week's raids on Kenya's oldest newspaper and its sister television station.

Photo: Thousands protest in Kenya against police raids

Thousands protest in Kenya against police raids

Waving placards and shouting that Internal Security Minister John Michuki "must go," the demonstrators walked peacefully through the Kenyan capital as police stood guard from a distance.

Michuki had ordered Thursday's raids, during which heavily armed and masked police smashed The Standard Group's printing press and disrupted Kenya Television Network's broadcast for 13 hours.

It was the first time since Kenya's 1963 independence that the government shut down major media operations. Recently, the country's media have been reporting on corruption scandals swirling around President Mwai Kibaki, who has been seen as increasingly politically isolated.

The raids were condemned by Cabinet ministers, diplomats and citizens.

"It is vital that we have a free press in Kenya," said translator Rhoda Atieno, 31, who participated in Tuesday's protest. "The assault on the Standard newspaper group was outrageous and shouldn't happen in a democracy, and those responsible should go, without negotiation."

Some protesters held placards that read: "Mr. President, Stop Sponsoring State Terrorism."

Michuki on Friday defended the raids, saying police had seized computer files containing evidence of a threat to state security, without elaborating, reports the AP.