NAIROBI, KENYA — Members of the legal fraternity marched peacefully through Nairobi on Tuesday, demanding the immediate release of abducted advocate Abshir Ahmedsadak Abdi.
Dressed in purple ribbons and escorted by a brass band, the protesters moved from the Milimani Law Courts to the police station at Vigilance House. The protesters waved Kenyan flags, blew whistles and vuvuzelas, and held banners saying “Our safety is non-negotiable” and “Protect our advocates.”
Abdi disappeared on 1 November after armed men forced him into a vehicle in Nairobi. His family revealed he had received threats connected to a criminal case in which he was a witness.
Speaking outside the courts, Abdi’s brother, Zakaria Abshir, expressed the family’s anguish: “Where does the buck stop? Who do I ask to give me my brother? When I go back to the family, by myself, by the bedside of my mother and my father, what do I tell them?”
Legal leaders condemned the incident as a grave threat to democracy. East Africa Law Society President Ramadhan Mukira stated, “Any victimisation of any lawyer is a threat to the independence of the Bar, a threat to the rule of law, and a threat to constitutionalism.”
Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama highlighted a wider crisis, noting that 22 abductions have occurred, with several released victims left traumatised after being tortured.
While police deny holding Abdi, and the High Court has ordered security agencies to account for him, the Law Society of Kenya has announced a nationwide court boycott until he is safely returned.
View the full video report below
[This current affairs report item is provided as part of Broadcast Media Africa (BMA)’s mandate to keep Africa’s broadcast media audiences and stakeholders informed on international developments in local and global humanitarian and public service broadcasting.]
