US condemns 'harassment' of journalists in Kenya

The US has condemned as harassment of journalists an attack by Kenyan police on a newspaper and a television station in Nairobi.

“It undermines the right of Kenyans to information,” Adam Ereli, a department spokesman, said yesterday. “We call upon the government of Kenya to cease such acts and respect internationally accepted norms of freedom of expression and media independence.”

He also said the government should release those members of the Standard Media Group that are being detained.

Police commandos smashed printing presses and disrupted TV broadcasts on Thursday. The raids marked the first time since independence in 1963 that a Kenyan government has shut down the operations of a major media company.