Fred Mukinda
6 November 2007
Nairobi — The investigation into the suspected execution of 500 people by police should be conducted by an international panel, the government human rights body says.
A report released yesterday by Kenya National Commission on Human Rights chairman Maina Kiai says the team should be drawn from among police experts in South Africa, Ghana and Rwanda.
"The Kenya police are clearly incapable or unwilling to investigate the matter," says the preliminary report.
"If the investigations (by the international panel) establish that State sponsored executions, and disappearances have occurred, then those responsible should be identified and brought to justice."
The commission appealed to people whose relatives have gone missing to report to the organisation. Eleven relatives had lodged complaints at the commission's headquarters at CVS Plaza in Nairobi after the initial appeal barely two weeks ago.
The human rights officials are promising that information received will be treated in confidence to protect complainants.
If the independent investigations fault the police, the commission also wants reparations granted to the families of the victims.
The report says that only 229 bodies of the suspected victims of executions have been accounted for.
Between June and October, 454 bodies were taken by police to the City Mortuary and booked as unknown. All had gunshot wounds.
Nineteen others were booked at the Naivasha and Machakos hospital mortuaries.
The commission accuse police of failing to carry out proper investigations since the first were was reported in June.
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