Activists Boniface Mwangi and Hussein Khalid, Executive Director of Haki Africa, were earlier today arrested during a peaceful march in Nairobi intended to honor the fallen heroes of past protests. The two are currently being held at Central Police Station.
Boniface Mwangi has been a vocal critic of government corruption and impunity in Kenya while Hussein Khalid, through his leadership at Haki Africa, has tirelessly fought for human rights, particularly in the coastal regions of Kenya and this arrests raises significant concerns about the state of civil liberties in Kenya.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have strongly condemned the arrests. They have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mwangi and Khalid and urged the Kenyan government to uphold the constitutional rights of its citizens.
“The arrest of these activists is deeply troubling and indicative of a broader crackdown on civil liberties in Kenya,” said Amnesty International in a statement. “We call on the authorities to release them immediately and respect the right to peaceful assembly.”
The arrests have ignited a firestorm of outrage on social media under #FreeBonifaceMwangi as thousands of Kenyans and international supporters demanded the activists’ immediate release.
“Boniface Mwangi and Hussein Khalid are voices of justice in our country. Their arrest is an attack on our rights to peaceful protest and free speech,” tweeted a supporter.