By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with rfi.fr
Published on 2024-01-17 13:51:54
A Kenyan judge issued an order on Wednesday for cult leader Paul Mackenzie and dozens of others to undergo mental health tests before facing charges of murder, terrorism, and torture. The charges are in connection to the deaths of over 400 people whose bodies were found in mass graves.
The victims, including 191 children, were exhumed from the remote Shakahola forest in Kenya’s southeast since last April. Mackenzie, the head of the Good News International Church, allegedly instructed his followers to starve themselves and their children to death in preparation for the end of the world.
Following the discovery of the bodies, Mackenzie was arrested in April. Prosecutors have stated that he and 94 others will be tried in court in the coastal town of Malindi.
The exhumation of over 400 bodies from mass graves spread across tens of thousands of acres of forest is considered one of the worst cult-related tragedies in recent history. The delicate and time-consuming process of locating, exhuming, and autopsying the human remains has caused delays in the trial.
Some of Mackenzie’s followers were found emaciated and rescued from the forest. It was reported that Mackenzie planned the mass starvation in three phases, starting with children, followed by women and young men, and then the remaining men. He also forbade his followers from sending their children to school or seeking medical help, labeling such institutions as Satanic.
In response to a prosecution request, a judge granted permission to conduct mental health assessments of 31 defendants before they are formally charged and enter pleas in two weeks. Mackenzie’s lawyer, a self-proclaimed pastor and former taxi driver, stated that he is cooperating with the investigation and denies responsibility for the deaths.
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