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Kenya: 96 in Ethiopian Jails, Says Lawyer
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The Nation (Nairobi)
1 June 2007
Posted to the web 1 June 2007
Ngumbao Kithi
Nairobi
Ninety six Kenyans are in Ethiopian jails after the Government stripped them of their citizenship on allegations that they were linked to terrorism, a human rights lawyer has said.
The whereabouts of 46 of them was unknown because Kenyan authorities were not willing to discuss the issue, lawyer Harun Ndubi claimed.
"The actions by the Government are making Kenyans legitimate targets for terrorism. In the past, we were targets because of Western interests in the country but recent developments can expose us to real danger," Mr Ndubi, who works with Haki Focus, said.
Another lawyer, Mr Pheroze Nowrojee, accused the Government of "implementing the anti- terrorism Bill without taking it to Parliament for enactment".
Arbitrary arrests
The two were speaking at a public meeting yesterday, when victims of arbitrary arrests over terrorism, recounted their ordeal at the hands of the police.
Mr Hassan Omar Hassan, a commissioner with the Kenya National Human Rights Commission, accused the police of perfecting impunity and discriminating against the Muslims on claims they were linked to terrorism.
"How can the Government put together all resources to search for Swaleh Nabhan, Salim Hamisi and Mohammed Fazul and forget the more than 200 Mungiki killing innocent Kenyans in Nairobi and Central provinces?" he asked.
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Ms Saada Mohammed Swaleh told the meeting how 15 police officers raided her house and searched it for hours before asking her to accompany them to a police station.
"When I asked them to allow me to change my clothes, they ordered me to change in their presence," she said.
Another victim, Ms Marian Saleh, was overwhelmed by emotions and cried uncontrollably as she attempted to recount her experience with anti-terrorism police officers.
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