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Kenyan Police to Charge Officer with Murder of 2 Protesters


Kenyan police say they will charge one of their officers with murder after he was filmed shooting dead two protesters last month.

Police said Thursday that Constable Edward Kirui will be charged for the January 16 killings of George William Onyango and Ishmael Chacha in the western town of Kisumu.

A team of investigators looked into the case after the shooting was broadcast on national and international television. Police say Kirui will appear in court soon.

At least 1,000 people have been killed in Kenya in protests and ethnic violence triggered by the disputed December 27 presidential election.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is mediating talks between Kenya's political leaders in an effort to resolve the crisis.

On Wednesday, the United States imposed a travel ban on 10 Kenyan businessmen and politicians for their alleged involvement with the violence. The 10 include lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition Orange Democratic Movement.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for Human Rights has sent a team to Kenya to investigate allegations of human rights abuses.

The U.N. Security Council deplored the violence in a statement Wednesday. It said the only solution to the crisis lies in dialogue, negotiation and compromise.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

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