Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (R) Haki Africa executive Director Hussein Khalid (C) and gender rights officer Salma Hemed (L) during Thursday’s press briefing. [Photo/ Maxwell Ngala]
Human rights defenders at the Coast have raised concerns over increasing cases of extrajudicial killings in the region.Speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, Haki Africa Executive director Hussein Khalid said the human rights body has been recording at least two cases of enforced disappearance every month since January.Hussein said the cases are increasing every day but the government was doing very little to stop the human rights violation.“By doing this we are only subjecting the families to pain and suffering, we should use the constitution in tackling the menace,” he said.On his part, Mvita Member of Parliament Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir said there has been an increase in the cases, especially in Kilifi and Mombasa counties.The MP said there is a need for the existing security laws to be amended so that security agents are compelled to reveal the whereabouts of arrested suspects.“Every time we make inquests the affected families say that their relatives were arrested by armed police officers in a probox car, but we are never told where the suspect is being held,” said Nassir.Nassir said police should respect the rule of law and work with the community in the fight against terrorism and insecurity.He said he is already working on proposals to amend the laws so that police officers can start revealing where they are holding suspects.This comes barely two days after a Malindi family filed a complaint at Haki Africa offices in Mombasa asking for assistance after their father Abubakar Abdulkadir was allegedly arrested by armed police officers who drove him away in a probox.Abdulkadir is accused of having links with terror gangs, claims that the family has denied.