Muslims to stage Friday protests against extrajudicial killings, enforced dissapearances » Capital News

NAIROBI,Kenya Nov 8 – The muslim community has vowed to stage demonstrations every Friday to protest what their leaders describe as ‘enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings’ mainly targeting muslims accused of terror links.

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) Chairman Al Hajj Hassan Ole Naado said the community has been unfairly targeted by security forces, particularly the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) which often detains suspects incommunicado.

“As a part of a wide campaign to defend our rights, starting this Friday we are calling upon all Muslims around the country to embark on rallies after Friday prayers to protest these gross injustices,” Naado said at a press conference hours after muslim scholar Professor Hassan Nandwa was freed.

In Nairobi, they plan to hold rallies outside Jamia Mosque with a similar programmed lined up in Mombasa’s Makadara grounds. The events will be addressed by various muslim leaders.

SUPKEM believes Nandwa was held by police since last month when he went to report the disappearance of Elgiva Bwire, a man who had been freed after terror charges.

Nandwa went missing and was never seen until Sunday night when he was dumped in a thicket in Mwingi but his client is yet to be traced.

The muslim leaders say they engaged top security officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi who denied knowledge of his detention by ATPU.

“”It is absurd that the Police Spokesman could even come out in public to deny knowledge of Professor Nandwa’s wherebouts yet it was clear he was under detention by state security agencies,” the leaders said in a statement.

The muslim leaders say they have no doubt security forces were involved because Elgiva’s mother and other close relatives had been arrested and freed days earlier.

“Going by the fact that the mother to Prof. Hassan Nandwa’s client Elgiva Bwire and her close relatives were released days after their arrest, it is clear that Prof. Nandwa’s lengthy detention was formed by his religious background,” they said.

They said many muslims had borne the brunt of being victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

According to the muslim leaders, 133 people have been killed and others disappeared this year alone while over 1,000 people have been killed by security forcer since 2007. 28 of the cases are in court, according to the muslim leaders’ tally.

Amnesty International said in 2020 that more than 740 Kenyans were killed by police since 2007, including at least 130 in 2020.

“We call upon Imams around the country to create more awareness about the injustices facing muslims in the country,” they said.

And they said they will engage foreign embassies to help find a solution, including ending their support to ATPU.

“We will be engaging with the embassies of the United States and the European Union and impress on them to end their support to the agencies responsible for gross human right violation against Muslims,” the leaders said.

Lawyers had also announced plans to hold countrywide peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday to protest the dissapearance of Nandwa who was found on Sunday night.

According to the Law Society of Kenya, the demonstration under the “Purple Ribbon Campaign Week” are meant to speak against extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Police Headquarters has not responded to a request for comment from us on the claims by the Muslim leaders.