Authorities committee abuses during protests – Amnesty

Amnesty International has claimed that authorities in Kenya committed human rights violations against protesters between 2023 and 2025, using restrictive measures to suppress youth-led demonstrations in response to a deteriorating economic situation in the country, reports the Jurist. In a report documenting events and popular protests in Kenya between 2023 and 2025, Amnesty International revealed that Kenyan authorities committed abuses against demonstrators and journalists, including arbitrary arrests, abductions, malicious prosecution, and media repression. These abuses took place in the context of widespread protests against corruption, high taxes, public debt, and rising poverty and inequality. Based on interviews and testimonies from local communities, Amnesty stated that 36 people were arrested or abducted by security officers during or after the protests, among whom many asserted that they were mistreated in detention. Detainees further reported that they experienced beating, torture, and interrogations without legal representation. The organisation added that other people were subjected to unlawful surveillance of their social media accounts, mobile phones and residences. Journalists also faced harassment, physical assault and arbitrary detention. Amnesty International called on the Kenyan government to provide comprehensive reparations to all victims and to prosecute the perpetrators of human rights abuses against protesters. The organisation also recommended that the government ratify the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. Lastly, the rights organisation emphasised that demands by young people for transparency, social protection, and better economic conditions should not be met with repressive measures and crack downs, urging authorities to ensure the protection of human rights before the implementation of new policies or reforms.

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