Top opposition figures in Kenya want the government to free detained young people. Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka led the call on Monday. He spoke at a press event in Nairobi.
Mr. Musyoka said 82 youths have been taken in the past three months. He wants them released right away. He also asked for news on 29 missing youths. No one knows where they are.
"We demand that all 82 youth who have been abducted be released," Mr. Musyoka said. "They must be returned to their families immediately."
Mr. Musyoka said the new government is doing what past ones did. It is taking young people who speak out. Some just drew pictures or made art that spread online.
Mr. Musyoka said men in masks had been seen grabbing people, and they were caught on video. But they have not been arrested.
The opposition leader noted that protests began Monday in cities. In Nairobi, police used tear gas on crowds. Shops that had opened quickly shut. They feared theft.
The protesters said they had no weapons and wanted to protest peacefully, but police told them to leave. Officers said they had no permit.
Some protesters, including Gideon Kibet, Ronny Kiplagat, and Billy Mwangi, held signs with the names of the missing.
Concern has been growing about the abductions. Rights groups and others spoke out on Friday.
Activists say the government has been holding critics since big protests in June and July. Most of the missing are young men who railed against the government online.
A human rights group reported armed men have taken 82 people since June. It said 29 are still gone—the group named seven who disappeared after December 17.
Mr. Musyoka said 82 youths have been taken in the past three months. He wants them released right away. He also asked for news on 29 missing youths. No one knows where they are.
"We demand that all 82 youth who have been abducted be released," Mr. Musyoka said. "They must be returned to their families immediately."
Mr. Musyoka said the new government is doing what past ones did. It is taking young people who speak out. Some just drew pictures or made art that spread online.
Mr. Musyoka said men in masks had been seen grabbing people, and they were caught on video. But they have not been arrested.
The opposition leader noted that protests began Monday in cities. In Nairobi, police used tear gas on crowds. Shops that had opened quickly shut. They feared theft.
The protesters said they had no weapons and wanted to protest peacefully, but police told them to leave. Officers said they had no permit.
Some protesters, including Gideon Kibet, Ronny Kiplagat, and Billy Mwangi, held signs with the names of the missing.
Concern has been growing about the abductions. Rights groups and others spoke out on Friday.
Activists say the government has been holding critics since big protests in June and July. Most of the missing are young men who railed against the government online.
A human rights group reported armed men have taken 82 people since June. It said 29 are still gone—the group named seven who disappeared after December 17.
