BBC Says Kenya Blocked Viewing Of Film Of Police Shooting Protesters

Nairobi, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2025) The BBC said Monday that Kenyan government pressure led to the cancellation of a Nairobi screening of a documentary from the British broadcaster identifying security officers suspected of shooting protesters dead.

Kenya's clampdown last year on youth-led protests against tax increases left more than 60 people dead, according to rights groups, while dozens were abducted by security forces in the following months.

BBC Africa Eye on Monday aired an expose documenting the killing of three protesters outside Kenya's parliament on June 25, 2024, when youthful demonstrators breached the building in an attempt to stop lawmakers from approving the proposed tax hikes.

Using open-source data and user-generated content from the day of the protests, "Blood Parliament" identified uniformed security officers who opened fire, killing three unarmed protesters.

A private screening was scheduled to take place at an upmarket cinema and rooftop bar in the capital Nairobi, followed by a panel discussion with some of the activists featured in the documentary, a BBC source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"A screening of BBC Africa Eye's 'Blood Parliament' in Kenya was cancelled due to pressure from the authorities," a statement from a BBC spokesperson said.

The documentary has caused a stir online, with one Kenyan legislator calling for the ban of BBC Africa in the east African nation.

"The relevant agencies of the Government of Kenya must act fast to withdraw @BBCAfrica licence in Kenya," the MP, George Peter Kaluma, posted on X.

Police have repeatedly denied involvement in the abductions and killings and no officers have been charged.

But a status report released late Monday by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) on the violent protests showed that, of the 60 deaths under investigation, 41 involved gunshot wounds.

The authority said it has "completed 22 investigations, is actively pursuing 36, and has two cases currently before the courts".IPOA added that it recorded 233 injury cases during the demonstrations.