Kenya: Amnesty Calls for Police Restraint As Fuel Price Demonstrations Loom

Amnesty International Kenya urges restraint from security forces as citizens prepare to protest soaring fuel prices. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Kenya: Amnesty Calls for Police Restraint As Fuel Price Demonstrations Loom

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Nairobi, Kenya – Amnesty International Kenya issued a direct appeal to national police on Monday, calling for them to exercise maximum restraint as the country braces for a wave of nationwide demonstrations against soaring fuel prices, set to begin on Tuesday. The human rights organization's preemptive statement underscores the high tensions surrounding the planned protests and a widespread concern over potential clashes between security forces and citizens. The protests, organized by a coalition of civil society groups and opposition figures, are a direct response to the government's recent removal of a fuel subsidy, a move that has sent pump prices to historic highs. The cost of petrol and diesel has risen by more than 30% in recent weeks, placing an unbearable strain on households and businesses already grappling with high inflation. Organizers have vowed to stage peaceful marches in major cities, including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, demanding the immediate reinstatement of the subsidy to cushion citizens from the global surge in oil prices. Amnesty's intervention is rooted in a fraught history of police conduct during public demonstrations in Kenya. The organization's statement, while not detailing specific allegations, implicitly references a pattern of documented incidents where security forces have used excessive force, including live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannons, to disperse crowds. "We remind the police of their obligation to protect and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly, as enshrined in the Constitution," a representative from Amnesty International Kenya stated, emphasizing that the use of force must always be a last resort and strictly proportional. The government, for its part, has defended the subsidy removal as a necessary, if painful, fiscal measure. Officials argue that the billions of shillings previously spent on capping prices were unsustainable and diverted critical funds from long-term development projects. The Treasury has stated that the savings will be redirected to agricultural and social programs, but this long-term rationale offers little immediate solace to millions of Kenyans for whom transportation costs...

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Categoria: cronaca