Amnesty International, along with several human rights organizations, has released a damning report on the Gen Z ‘Occupy Parliament’ protest held in Nairobi on June 25th, 2024.
The report, based on thorough research and eyewitness accounts, highlights a brutal police crackdown that led to six deaths and the disappearance or abduction of 72 individuals.
During a press conference at Amnesty International’s Nairobi office, the organization revealed its findings, which included interviews with 23 eyewitnesses and the analysis of 45 videos and over 100 photographs from the protest.
The report paints a grim picture of a “chaotic and poorly coordinated” police response, with law enforcement officers firing indiscriminately and showing a complete lack of proper direction.
Amnesty International condemned the violence, stating, “The authorities had ample time to prepare for a peaceful demonstration, yet the response was marked by excessive force and blatant disregard for human rights.”
According to the report, six protesters were shot and killed, while a total of 61 fatalities have been recorded during various protests throughout 2024.
In addition, 67 cases of enforced disappearances have been logged this year, with 40 of these cases resolved and 27 still unresolved.
The International Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) has performed autopsies on 49 victims of the protests.
The June 25th protest, organized in advance, saw a large turnout of young people demanding political and economic reforms.
Eyewitnesses reported that police appeared overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and resorted to violence to regain control.
Amnesty’s weapons experts noted that law enforcement used a variety of firearms, including G3, AK-47, Galil-pattern rifles, and CZ Scorpion EVO 3 submachine guns.
The report criticized the lack of communication and direction among officers, some of whom fired their weapons without apparent orders.
Amnesty International, together with five other human rights and legal organizations, is calling on the government to act on the report’s recommendations.
They have also launched a petition, with over 12,000 signatures, demanding the creation of a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the deaths, disappearances, and police abuses during the protests.
The petition will soon be presented to the National Assembly.
In its statement, Amnesty urged the government to ensure accountability for those responsible for the violence, stressing, “Kenyans have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly, and that right must not be met with bullets and brutality.”
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