NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An opposition politician and several other protesters were arrested in Kenya on Monday during street demonstrations calling for an end to alleged abductions, that recently targeted young government critics.
Senator Okiya Omtatah had joined hundreds of protesters who sat down on the streets of the capital, Nairobi while chanting that police should free seven people abducted this month.
Police hurled tear gas canisters at the protesters and when Omtatah and several others did not disperse and held on to a long chain, they were arrested.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Thursday raised concern over a growing number of alleged kidnappings of government critics, saying that the total number of such cases stands at 82 since the anti-government protests in June.
President William Ruto on Saturday said the government would stop the abductions so that young people live in peace.
Rights groups allege the country’s police force is behind such kidnappings, but police have denied involvement and have said that they are investigating the disappearances.
Senator Omtatah on Monday filed a case at the High Court in Nairobi seeking to compel the government to free seven youths, accusing the police of abducting them.
“If they have committed a crime, let them be prosecuted and presented in court to defend themselves,” he said.
Young protesters said they were in solidarity with those abducted while going about their daily lives.
“We are existing at a time where we have to live in fear,” a protester, Orpah Thabiti said.
Four social media users went missing after they shared AI-generated images of President Ruto that were deemed offensive by government supporters.
The rights commission had warned that Kenya was heading back to the “dark days” of the disappearance of government critics. The abduction and torture of the opposition were common under the administration of the late President Daniel Moi.
Police arrest protesters who have chained themselves during protests against abductions in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A man lies down on the ground after being tear-gassed by police during a protests against abductions dubbed "End Protests" in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
A man reacts after being tear-gassed by police during protests against abductions dubbed 'EndProtests' in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
Police on horses surround protesters during protests against abductions in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024. AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)
NEW YORK (AP) — Publishers Clearing House, a decades-old marketing and sweepstakes company known for doling out large “Prize Patrol” checks, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
In an announcement this week, PCH said it was using the bankruptcy process to “finalize a shift away” from its legacy business of direct-mail, retail merchandise and magazine subscriptions. The company is hoping to instead transition to a “pure digital advertising" model, where it will continue to offer free-to-play entertainment and prizes.
The Chapter 11 proceedings, filed in New York on Wednesday, arrive amid growing financial strain for PCH — which has struggled with rising operational costs and changing consumer habits in recent years.
Pivoting from its old way of doing business will help the company break free from past constraints and “establish a strong foundation for our future," CEO Andy Goldberg said in a statement.
But that doesn't mean the famous sweepstakes are going away. PCH says it plans to operate in a "business-as-usual manner" throughout the bankruptcy process — noting that the “Prize Patrol” team will continuing to deliver awards across the U.S. The company says it's lined up debtor-in-possession financing from Prestige Capital to fund operations through its restructuring.
PCH's roots date back to 1953 — when Harold and LuEsther Mertz and their daughter, Joyce Mertz-Gilmore, formed a business out of their Long Island, New York home to send direct-to-consumer mailings that solicited subscribers for a number of magazines through one single offering.
The company later grew with chances for consumers to win money — first launching a direct mail sweepstakes in 1967 — and expanded its offerings to a wide variety of merchandise, from collectible figurines to houseware and “As Seen on TV” accessories, in the years that followed. Its in-person “Prize Patrol” team was formed in 1989.
PCH became known for surprising prize winners with oversized checks, which was often filmed and featured in TV commercials. In Wednesday court documents, the company said it has awarded over half a billion dollars in prizes and continues to attract millions of contestants today.
But its operations haven't been without financial strain — particularly in recent years.
“While PCH’s direct mail and e-commerce programs were profitable for decades, changing patterns of consumer behavior, costs and competition, along with a declining pool of new prospecting names, negatively impacted the business, resulted in losses beginning in 2022,” William H. Henrich, co-chief restructuring officer for PCH, wrote in a court declaration Wednesday.
Henrich pointed to a handful of cost pressures — including rising shipping and postal rates, inventory and supply chain challenges that have continued since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising competition from major retailers today, like Walmart and Amazon, that have dominated the e-commerce space.
PCH also faced some scrutiny from regulators who previously raised concerns about consumers mistakenly believing that making purchases from the company would improve their chances at winning its sweepstakes. As a result, PCH has racked up several costly legal settlements over the years — most recently, Wednesday's court documents note, paying $18.5 million to resolve allegations from the Federal Trade Commission in 2018.
As of the end of March, PCH had total assets of nearly $11.7 million and total liabilities of about $65.7 million, court documents show. The company currently has 105 employees and an annual gross revenue of about $38 million.
FILE - Jo-Ann Snyder reacts when she see's the check from Publishers Clearing House at her home in Wilkes-Barre Twp., Feb. 23, 2018. (Aimee Dilger/The Times Leader via AP)/The Times Leader via AP, file)
