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Protect activists, says
Amnesty
Story by PAUL REDFERN
Publication Date: 2/3/2008
Sunday Nation correspondent, in London
Amnesty international wants President Kibaki and Attorney General
Amos Wako directly petitioned over threats made to a number of
leading human rights campaigners in the country.
The London-based human rights group has urged its supporters to
write to the two leaders, asking them to ensure the safety and
protection of these activists.
It says the human rights and pro-democracy activists “received a
number of anonymous threats, including death threats, in the last
two weeks.”
The activists include Maina Kiai, the Chairman of Kenya National
Commission for Human Rights, Muthoni Wanyeki, the Executive
Director of Kenya Human Rights Commission, Haroun Ndubi, human
rights lawyer and a member of the Kenya Domestic Observers Forum
and David Ndii, author of a report on electoral irregularities.
“They had to take precautions for their safety such as moving from
their house, or not making public statements, after receiving
anonymous SMS messages, telephone calls and emails threatening
them.”
Amnesty says that all the threats are “in response to statements
or actions by those named about the results of the Kenyan General
Election held on 27 December, or about human rights abuses that
have occurred during the violence that has followed the elections.”
All, except one of the activists listed above, are from one ethnic
group, Amnesty says. The threats they have received include
accusations that they are “traitors to their ethnicity.”
It is alleged they spoke out about what they believe to have been
irregularities in the presidential election results, or about
human rights abuses committed by police and armed gangs,
throughout the country.
Four of them are also named in an anonymous pamphlet that has been
circulating in Kenya by print and email in recent days.
The pamphlet names the four as part of a list of more 25 people of
Kikuyu origin, who it calls “traitors (who) live among us in peace,”
and includes a veiled threat that they should be killed.
Others on the list include: Gladwell Otieno, the Director of
Africa Centre for Open Government, Ndung’u Wainaina, a staff
member of National Convention Executive Council, Njeri Kabeberi,
the Executive Director of the Centre for Multi-Party Democracy,
Nahashon Gachehe, an employee of Independent Medico-Legal Unit and
James Maina, member of the People’s Parliament (Bunge la Mwananchi).
Amnesty is calling on the government to investigate these threats
and bring those responsible to justice through fair trials. It
demands that the Kenyan authorities guarantee the right of freedom
of expression to the targeted individuals.
Further, the organisation wants the government to take action and
ensure all public servants, including the security forces,
recognise the legitimacy of the work of human rights defenders.
Government officials should also be told to abstain from making
unsubstantiated allegations against the activists as this violates
their human rights.
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