Kenya: Crackdown on "terrorism" violating human rights
Kenyan authorities must take immediate action to halt numerous human rights violations committed against suspects
detained during recent "anti-terrorism" operations, Amnesty International said today.
In a new report presented at a news conference in Nairobi, the organisation gave details of extensive violations
including arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention without charge, torture and harassment of family members. The human
rights violations occurred during "anti-terrorism" operations conducted since the 2002 bombing of a hotel near Mombasa
that killed 15 people.
"States have a duty to protect their populations from violent criminal acts, but this duty is not a license to torture
and abuse suspects in secret locations and harass their families. The Kenyan authorities have failed to comply with
international human rights law and standards, as well as Kenyan law. Security and human rights go hand in hand, and are
not alternative options" said Kenya researcher Sheila Keetharuth.
The report, Kenya: The impact of "anti-terrorism" operations on human rights, is based on interviews with former
detainees, families of suspects, human rights activists, lawyers and faith-based organisations carried out in Nairobi,
Mombasa and Lamu. The Amnesty International delegation also met with government and law enforcement officials.
"During interrogation, they told me that if I did not speak the truth, they would beat me up. All they wanted to know
was where my husband was and I did not know. At a certain moment, they actually started beating me with wooden sticks on
my legs, my knees and the soles of my feet. A woman police officer carried out the beating. The next day I could not
walk and had fever. I asked to be brought to the hospital, but they refused to take me." Testimony from wife of
"terrorist" suspect interviewed by Amnesty International on 17 May 2004.
The report's main findings include:
* The use of torture and other ill-treatment during detention including physical abuse; * Detention of suspects without
charge in undisclosed locations and without access to a lawyer or relatives; * The holding of suspects in degrading and
unsanitary conditions without access to medical care when needed; * Harassment of family members and the arbitrary
detention of relatives to put pressure on suspects to hand themselves in; * The failure of police to show warrants when
arresting individuals or conducting searches of property.
Amnesty International is calling on the Kenyan authorities to ensure respect for the rights of anyone arrested or
detained according to international law and standards. In particular, detainees must be given prompt access to legal
counsel, relatives and medical care if needed and any allegations of torture or other ill-treatment must be fully and
independently investigated.
The organisation also urges the Kenya Police Force to properly train its officers at all levels in human rights law and
avoid unlawful arrests, detentions and the holding of people without charge or trial.
For a copy of the report, Kenya: The impact of "anti-terrorism" operations on human rightsplease see: http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadj4rabfm1Wbb0hPub/