Amnesty International, a global human rights organisation, has criticised President William Ruto's government for engineering the arrest of three individuals accused of discussing the Israel-Palestine war.
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the Irungu Houghton-led organisation argued that the arrest amounted to an unlawful attack on the right to protest.
The organisation argued that all Kenyans must be allowed to express their opinions, including their views on the ongoing dispute between Israel, Gaza, and other Palestinian territories, regardless of the government's position.
"We retaliate that the government has a duty to respect the right of every person to assemble and demonstrate in support of or against any cause peaceably, as protected in Article 37 of the constitution," read the statement in part.
"We call upon authorities to avoid broad vilification of protests and assemblies. The Kenyan government must distinguish itself from other jurisdictions where preemptive bans on protests in support of Palestine have been banned. Government agencies ought to promote the spirit of the Bill of Rights and not be an impediment to the realisation of those rights."
In his personal capacity, Houghton, Amnesty Kenya's executive director, urged the police to exercise restraint in performing their duties by upholding the rule of law and avoiding political interference in their duties.
"Police have a duty to facilitate and protect the right to protest and refrain from suppressing dissent and subjecting criminal sanctions to those participating in protests," he stated.
On Sunday, the police arrested Imaduddin Ahmed, Muhammad Musa, and Ubax Abdi at a gathering where the Gaza war featured as a topic. The three were taken to Muthangari Police Station.
At the beginning of October, the Kenyan Government stood with Israel in the ongoing conflict when Ruto released a statement criticising the war.
"Kenya joins the rest of the world in solidarity with the State of Israel and unequivocally condemn terrorism and attacks on innocent civilians in the country," the Head of State announced on October 8.
Meanwhile, residents of Mombasa staged a protest, attended by Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, expressing their support for the Palestine wing.
Amnesty International's US division, on Monday, indicated that it had gathered new evidence of unlawful Israeli attacks that caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes.
"Israeli forces have shown a shocking disregard for civilian lives, pulverizing buildings and destroying essential infrastructure," read the statement in part.
Over 4,600 lives have been lost since the war broke out at the beginning of October.
