Amnesty International Kenya has called upon security agencies to uphold and safeguard Kenyans’ fundamental rights during nationwide anti-government protests.
In a statement issued by Irungu Houghton, the Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the human rights watch body has urged the police and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to protect and facilitate peaceful protestors taking to the streets to demonstrate.
Court orders
Amnesty in their statement echoed a previous ruling by a Malindi court that barred security agencies from using brutal force including the use of water cannons, tear gas, live ammunition, rubber bullets or other crude weapons against protesters exercising their constitutional rights.
“Amnesty International Kenya calls on the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to uphold their constitutional obligations to protect and facilitate peaceful protestors during the #OccupyEverywhere protests scheduled for 2 July 2024 across the country,” the statement reads in part.
“Amnesty International reminds the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces of the June 2024 High Court ruling in Malindi, which issued temporary orders preventing security agencies from using lethal and other less-lethal ammunition (including water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets) against peaceful protesters.”
Lawyer Saitabao Ole Kanchory had on June 24, 2024, moved to court seeking orders to bar the police from using brutal force, carrying out extra-judicial killings, making illegal arrests, intimidation, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and other excesses and violence against peaceful protesters.
Rights during protests
The human rights watch group further cited the right to assemble, demonstrate, picket, and present petitions to public authorities peacefully and unarmed as provided for under Article 37 of the constitution, condemning what the statement terms as the use of unnecessary and excessive force that resulted in the loss of life and infliction of serious injuries.
According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, 39 people have been killed by police, while at least 361 people have suffered severe injuries.
Amnesty also pointed out reports of journalists and medical personnel who have been injured and others arrested in their line of duty, urging security organs to operate strictly within the confines of the law.
Amnesty has also announced that it will deploy protest observers to monitor the conduct of security forces during the protests which have already kicked off in various towns across Kenya.
