Wed, 30 Jan 2008


PRESS RELEASE
Posted to the web 30 January 2008

Amnesty International today issued an urgent action calling for the protection of several Kenyan human rights defenders and activists who have received serious death threats.

The group, which includes six men and three women -- some of whom are prominent members of human rights organizations -- have received a number of anonymous threats in the form of SMS messages, phone calls and emails. They are now taking precautions for their safety, such as moving house and not making any public statements.

The threats include accusations that they are ”traitors” to their ethnicity.

All but one of the activists are of Kikuyu ethnicity.

They have all spoken out about what they believe to have been irregularities in Kenya’s recent elections or about human rights abuses being committed by police and armed gangs – including Kikuyu gangs – throughout the country.

Four of the human rights defenders are also named in an anonymously authored leaflet that has been circulated within the Kikuyu community. The leaflet lists more than 25 people by name, calling them “traitors [who] live among us in peace”, and issues a veiled threat that they should be killed.

Amnesty International called on the Kenyan government to ensure the safety and protection of all human rights defenders in Kenya, investigate the threats being made against them and bring those found responsible to justice.

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Jaluo Press would like to express its solidarity with all of those standing up for peace and for democracy in Kenya. 

Our thoughts are with these human rights activists who have stood against the tide and who are facing animosity from members of their own community for simply doing what is right.   These people call to mind those individuals from other ethnic communities who stood with black South Africans against apartheid and those who stood with African Americans against Jim Crow.  It is, we realize, extremely difficult to take such a stand.

To these activists: It is with great humility and respect that we commend your efforts for peace and democracy in Kenya.