Irish priest faces life sentence in Kenya over protest

AN Irish missionary who lives under constant death threat in Kenya was last night in jail facing a possible life sentence after he was arrested for organising a land rights protest.

Fr Gabriel Dolan, a native of Derrydonnelly, Co Fermanagh, was yesterday charged with intention to cause violence, being involved in an illegal gathering and malicious damage to property - a charge which carries a life sentence in Kenya if upheld.

Despite receiving frequent death threats and being arrested and beaten by police in November 2003, the Kiltegan Fathers missionary is known in Kenya for defending the human and civil rights of his community through the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.