The nation of Kenya has endured a lot, particularly in the
past month, and it appears that things are not on track to settle down. Recent
events have shown that supporters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are
being persecuted, sometimes even by their own government. This is a violation
of both human rights and justice, as people, oftentimes witnesses to crimes,
are being threatened and sometimes killed for speaking out against injustices
perpetuated by the government. Every person should be guaranteed the right to
peacefully protest things that they see as unjust.
The Kenyan government has shown
sense of urgency in protecting people speaking out for human rights. If the
government does not start standing behind the freedom of human rights
activists, more violence will certainly transpire. In my opinion, it is almost
as if the government is encouraging violence against human rights activists by
allowing the publishing names of activists on social media outlets. This, in
effect, puts a bullseye on the backs of those activists, as it allows criminals
to hone in on them.
Several cases have shown a
disturbing trend of violence and witness tampering. One activist was shot just
outside of his own home after receiving death threats from multiple sources for
several months. All the meanwhile, police look the other way and do nothing to
protect people who they know well are in imminent danger. Witnesses are being
intimidated and corrupted by outside sources that either use threats or bribery
to get them to not testify or falsely testify in defense of the Kenyan political
figures, who face charges for human rights violations. I feel as though action
needed to ensure that human rights activists in Kenya can speak their minds
without the threat of death looming over their heads.
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