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Rights group claims lobbyists'
lives in danger
(N.B.: Other lobbyists are hunted by detectives from
state-police in a kind of witchhunt to present "violence-culprits!)
Daily Nation
Story by RACHEL OMBAKA
28. Feb. 2008
Journalists and human rights defenders whose lives were threatened
in the wake of the political violence are yet to get any
protection from the Government, a human rights organisation has
said.
Those who were threatened recorded statements with the police but
no action was taken. Consequently, some of them have left the
country and others have withdrawn from public life.
Mr Hassan Shire Sheikh of the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights
Defenders Network said activists have been forced to retreat from
the public scene for the sake of safety.
Sought refuge abroad
“Efforts have been made by the Kenya Human Rights Commission to
offer protection to the activists and some like James Maina (a
member of the People’s Parliament) sought refuge abroad,” said Mr
Sheikh yesterday.
Mr Sheikh said such measures only offered short-term solutions and
did not guarantee security.
He said Mr Maina was still receiving threats because of
allegations that a meeting was held between an important
Government official and members of the outlawed Mungiki sect.
The Nation has since learnt that the chairperson of Kenya National
Commission on Human Rights, Mr Maina Kiai, left the country for
fear of his safety.
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