ケニア「餓死カルト」、被害者の臓器摘出か 死者１３３人に

【ナイロビＡＦＰ＝時事】ケニア警察は９日、カルト教団が信者を餓死させていたとされる事件で、被害者の一部は臓器が失われていたと明らかにした。強制的な臓器摘出が行われていた可能性が浮上している。（写真は自称牧師のポール・マケンジー・ヌセンゲ被告）
　同日、シャカホラの森で新たに２２人の遺体が見つかり、先月の集団墓地発見以降の死者は計１３３人となった。警察は数日内にさらに遺体が発見されるとの見方を示している。
　警察は被害者のほとんどがポール・マケンジー・ヌセンゲ被告が率いるカルト教団の信者だったとみている。同容疑者は、「イエス・キリストに会える」として信者を餓死させたとされる。
　首都ナイロビの裁判所に提出された供述書で、捜査責任者のマーティン・ムネネ氏は「検視報告書から、掘り出された遺体の一部は臓器がないことが分かった」と述べている。
　さらに「複数の人間が関与しており、臓器売買が極めて組織的に行われていた」と指摘した。ただ、臓器密売の疑いの詳細には触れていない。
　ムネネ氏によると、事件に関与したとして先月逮捕された著名テレビ宣教師のエゼキール・オデロ容疑者が、カルト信者から「多額の金」を受け取っていた。同容疑者は４日に保釈されている。
　ナイロビの裁判所は、オデロ容疑者の保有する２０以上の銀行口座を３０日間凍結するよう当局に命じている。
　信者たちは、指導者のマケンジー被告の指示で不動産を売却していたことが分かっている。
　９日に現場を訪れたキトゥレ・キンディキ内相は、複数の当局からなる合同チームが現在、少なくとも２０の集団埋葬地を調べていると明かした。
　「残念ながら、この森にはまだ多くの墓がある。このことから、極めて組織的な犯罪だとの結論に達した」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/05/12-19:09）

Autopsies on corpses found in mass graves linked to a Kenyan cult have revealed missing organs and raised suspicions of forced harvesting, investigators said Tuesday as another 21 bodies were found.
A total of 133 people have so far been confirmed dead in the so-called Shakahola forest massacre since the discovery of mass graves last month shocked the deeply religious Christian-majority country.
Police believe most of the bodies found near Malindi on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast were followers of self-styled pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who is accused of ordering them to starve to death to meet Jesus.
While starvation appears to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten, or suffocated, according to chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor.
Investigators said Tuesday they believed more bodies would be found in coming days.
We have 21 bodies exhumed today from nine graves, and this exercise will continue tomorrow, said regional commissioner Rhoda Onyancha. The latest exhumations took the overall toll to 133, she added.
Court documents filed on Monday said some of the corpses had their organs removed, with police alleging the suspects were engaged in forced harvesting of body parts.
Post mortem reports have established missing organs in some of the bodies of victims who have been exhumed, chief inspector Martin Munene said in an affidavit filed to a Nairobi court.
It is believed that trade on human body organs has been well coordinated involving several players, he said, giving no details about the suspected trafficking.
Munene said Ezekiel Odero, a high-profile televangelist who was arrested last month in connection with the same case and granted bail on Thursday, had received huge cash transactions, allegedly from Mackenzie's followers who sold their property at the cult leader's bidding.
The Nairobi court ordered the authorities to freeze more than 20 bank accounts belonging to Odero for 30 days.
- 'Highly organised crime' -
Exhumations resumed on Tuesday after being suspended last week because of bad weather.
We have resumed the exhumation exercise because we believe that there are more bodies inside this place, said Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, who visited the site on Tuesday.
What we have here in Shakahola is one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known.
A multi-agency team was exhuming at least 20 mass graves believed to contain several victims, he added.
I am afraid that we have many more graves in this forest, and therefore it leads us to conclude that this was a highly organised crime.
Questions have been raised about how Mackenzie managed to evade law enforcement despite a history of extremism and previous legal cases.
The former taxi driver turned himself in on April 14 after police acting on a tip-off first entered Shakahola forest, where some 50 shallow mass graves have now been found.
Prosecutors are asking to hold the father of seven, who founded the Good News International Church in 2003, for another 90 days until investigations are completed.
Senior principal magistrate Yusuf Shikanda said he would rule on the request on Wednesday.
President William Ruto has vowed a crackdown on Kenya's homegrown religious movements in the aftermath of the saga, which has highlighted failed past efforts to regulate unscrupulous churches and cults.