Case Background
Maina wa Kinyatti, a prominent university researcher and Marxist historian, was known to hold critical views of then-president Daniel arap Moi’s authoritarian regime. He was arrested in 1982 for possessing a document entitled “Moi’s divisive tactics exposed,” which the authorities deemed to be seditious because it was critical of the government, though it did not advocate violence. After a show trial, in which the presiding judge accepted the police’s word that the document had been found in Kinyatti’s house despite contradictory reports, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. During this time, he was severely mistreated, including through beatings, solitary confinement, and being fed half-cooked food. His health deteriorated, causing his vision to be impaired due to growths on his eyes.
Kinyatti received the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award in 1988, and was released in October that same year after serving his full sentence. After he was released, he received word that the government was planning to arrest him again. Kinyatti fled to Tanzania, from where he applied for asylum in the United States. He has since taught ethnic studies at Hunter College in New York City.