NAIROBI, Kenya – Doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 30 of his followers appeared in a Kenyan court in the coastal city of Malindi on Wednesday to face charges of killing 191 children.
Mackenzie and the other suspects pleaded not guilty as High Court Judge Mugure Thande granted a request from prosecutors that they undergo a mental evaluation and return to court on February 6.
The bodies of 180 of the 191 children who died have not been identified, according to the prosecution’s charge sheet.
Mackenzie and some of his followers have been blamed for the deaths of 429 members of his International Church of the Good News, most of whom are believed to have starved themselves in the belief that by doing so they would meet Jesus Christ before the end of the world.
The bodies were found in dozens of shallow graves on an 800-acre (320-hectare) farm in a remote area known as Shakahola Forest in the Kilifi coastal district. The grave was discovered after police rescued 15 emaciated church members who told investigators that Mackenzie had ordered them to fast to death before the world ended. Four of the 15 died after they were taken to hospital.
Autopsies on some of the bodies found in the graves showed they died of starvation, suffocation or suffocation.
Kenya’s top prosecutor said on Monday that 95 people would be charged with murder, cruelty, child torture and other crimes.
Pastor Paul Mackenzie and his followers are accused of killing 191 children. AP
For months since the arrest of the defendants last April, prosecutors have sought the permission of the court in Kilifi to continue to detain them while the investigation continues. But last week, Chief Magistrate Yousuf Shikanda rejected their latest request to hold the suspect for an additional 60 days, saying prosecutors had been given enough time to complete the investigation.
Mackenzie is serving a separate one-year prison sentence after being found guilty of operating a film studio and producing films for his preaching without a valid licence.
Mackenzie allegedly encouraged church members to move to Shakahola Forest to prepare for the end of the world.
The Senate committee report said Mackenzie chose the area because of its remoteness.
“Once inside the village established by Mackenzie, followers were not allowed to leave the area, or interact within themselves,” the report said.
“The followers were required to destroy important documents, including national identity cards, birth certificates, title deeds, academic certificates and marriage certificates,” which created problems in identifying victims, the report said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
