Abduction Victims and Survivors Pen Letter to ICC Demanding Investigations

Abduction victims have issued a string of demands to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after being released from captivity.

In a statement through the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) on Sunday, the victims claim to have been repeatedly threatened and intimidated into silence, compelling them against speaking about their experiences. 

KHRC pointed an accusatory finger at the government, which they accused of muffling the voices of abduction victims.

“Victims and survivors of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing have come forward to expose how the state has been tracking and intimidating them into silence following their participation in protests against the government,” a statement from KHRC read.

The commission accompanied their scathing statement with testimonies from abduction survivors, who detailed their ordeals after allegedly being abducted in August 2024.

One of the accounts was that of Bob Njagi, Aslam Longton, and Jamil Longton, who were abducted on August 19 and were missing for more than a month.

According to the trio’s statements, since their release, they have been consistently trailed by unknown persons who they believe to be security agents.

“For days, a car was parked outside my workplace with two occupants – a man and a woman- inside at all times. The exact vehicle also trailed Aslam and Jamil,” a statement from Bob Njagi said.

The activist alleges that the vehicle in question is a black Subaru Outback.

In their list of demands, KHRC demanded a proper investigation into the cases of victims and survivors of abductions including Bob Njagi, Jamil Longton, Aslam Longton, Justus Mulwa, Martin Mwau, Steve Mbisi and Kalami Mwema.

The KHRC, alongside the abduction survivors, also issued a demand to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin to be held personally responsible for the crimes committed during their tenure.

Their third demand read, “We call on the International Criminal Court to intervene because the issue of human rights violations is no longer a domestic issue.”

Finally, the victims reiterated “Kenya must ratify and domesticate the international covenant to protect all persons from enforced disappearances”.