NAIROBI—With the unrelenting cries of Muslims on the enforced disappearances and extra judicial killings of Muslim youth getting little attention from the government, it is high time that President Uhuru Kenyatta acts on the matter that is growing concern in the Muslim community.
In a strong condemnation of the illegal actions where accusing fingers were pointed to security agencies, the Mombasa based Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI) urged the government to fulfil its obligations to protect the rights of all citizens, address the cases of the disappeared persons as well as prosecute those behind the human rights violations.
“MUHURI would want the Kenya government to acknowledge the scale of enforced disappearances, extra judicial killings and torture and take firm action to resolve cases of all disappeared person and prosecute the real perpetrators. The buck stops at the President and he needs to appreciate that he is the president of every citizen including those that have disappeared and history will judge him,” said the executive director Hassan Abdi Abdille during a press conference in Mombasa.
Terming the enforced disappearances as a “grave concern” and “a serious human rights violation,” the rights group revealed that it has recorded increased cases of disappearances and extra judicial killings targeting young men and women from the Muslim community. “Enforced disappearances in Kenya are allegedly committed by exclusively at the initiative of the government, through its state security officers,” he added.’
He noted that the “systematic and exceptional intensity manner” of the disappearances is being used as a weapon designed to generate a state of fear, anxiety and insecurity” and urged the head of state to ensure that the rule of the law is enforced during detention of individuals said to be involved in acts of terrorism.
“Of late, we have been getting complaints of young people at the coast going missing and it is a great concern as it is alleged that some of these people have been taken by security officers,” observed Hassan who revealed that the cases of missing persons has been on the rise in the last two years. “MUHURI is concerned that recently the number of the disappeared has sharply increased from15 in 2013 to over 30 person in 2015 at the Coast while no action has been taken by the government on these violations,” he revealed.
While calling on the government to ensure that the trend comes to an end, the chairman of the human rights lobby group Khelef Khalifah spoke of the frustration faced by the organization in their quest to address the violations of rights on the pretext of fighting terrorism. “We have been frustrated by the government while conducting our duties as a rights group. Security officers have also been frustrating our efforts in the name of fighting terror,” he said.
The organization together with another Mombasa based rights lobby group Haki Africa were recently in the government’s crosshairs after their activities were shut down allegedly for having links with terrorism organizations-accusations which they vehemently denied.
At the press conference, family members of the victims spoke on the frustrations and agony they are facing after their relatives were taken away by people said to be security agents. “If they are linked to any criminal activities, they should be charged. We are suffering as we worry about their safety. We do not know whether they are alive or dead and police are not giving us any information,” said Aisha Mbarak whose nephew and niece, Faiza Abdulaziz and Fahd Hemed are among those whose whereabouts remain unknown since May 20.
Narrating the ordeal which faced his son, a Malindi resident Baraka Muhammad said Salim Muhammad was arrested on June 20 by people who identified themselves as police officers who covered his head with a hood before driving away. He was later released as a case of mistaken identity only to be arrested two weeks later and he has never been seen since then.
The parents said despite reporting the disappearances, there has been little action from the police to get to the bottom of the matter.
Speaking to the Friday Bulletin, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) organizing Secretary Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa said the government cannot keep on ignoring the cries of parents who have been left in agony and anguish by not knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones.
He said it is ironical that the State which is tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding the rights of its citizens is turning around to be involved in disappearances and execution of its young population on the pretext of fighting terror.
“There is no way these parents are making up about the missing of their children. Their concerns are genuine and legitimate and it is time that the government hears their cries. If the government is not involved in these disappearances then let it investigate and find out who is responsible,” he told the Friday Bulletin.
Source: The Friday Bulletin
