Comrades,

Hassan Indusa was cleared of all charges and released unconditionally on Saturday evening, after spending almost 24 hours in police custody.

On Friday evening Hassan was arrested and booked in custody on a charge of “stealing from a person”. The charges were latter amended to “Robbery with Violence” which is a capital offense in Kenya. The charge is also not bailable, meaning that should Hassan have been arraigned in court, he would not have been able to post bond/bail, and would have had to be remanded in custody until the case is determined which in Kenya can take up to 5 years.

By the time his fingerprints were taken on Saturday morning, the charge had been changed to that of “Robbery with violence” which is a capital offense and is not bailable. Members of People’s Parliament who received the information about the arrest on Friday were able to convene at the police station and the complainant, who admitted that the charges against Hassan were false withdrew the charges unconditionally, occasioning Hassan’s release from Police custody.

We at Kengo are thankful for the intervention made by many of our colleagues to secure the release of Hassan Indusa who is the KENGO network chairman. Hassan is also the Speaker of People’s Parliament and it is his relationship with People’s Parliament that resulted in the false accusations.

We are further concerned that there is a marked effort to use the police irregularly. It is important to underscore the fact that the complainant who has recorded the false statement is a frequent visitor to Jeevanjee Gardens and that the charges were only withdrawn after bonafide members of the group convened in numbers at the Central Police Station and demanded Hassan’s release. The complainant then withdrew the charges unconditionally.

It appears that there are agents placed at People’s Parliament who are now being used to frame the active members in a bid to silence them. It is unjustifiable that a person should be able to frame such serious charges against another. But it is worse that the police should be used in the manner that they were.

With the elections slated to be in December this year, it is understandable that the activities of members of People’s Parliament make many people jittery. The agenda of People’s Parliament is unapologetically pro-people and anti-establishment. Infiltration is expected. So is harrassment. And defamation. Yet, Hassan is adamant that neither he nor the other members will yield any ground in the struggle for justice.

In the meantime, Kengo is grateful for the interventions made to secure Hassan’s release.The support and solidarity was overwhelming. It made a difference.

In gratitude,

Wangui Mbatia

URGENT: HELP!! HASSAN INDUSA, SPEAKER OF PEOPLE’S PARLIAMENT ARRESTED IN NAIROBI

Comrades,

We are appealing for urgent intervention. Hassan Indusa, the Speaker of People’s Parliament at Nairobi’s at Jeevenjee Gardens and the Chairman of KENGO was arrested at 8:00PM this evening and is currently being held at the Central Police Station, Nairobi.

Hassan Indusa was arrested while having tea at the Winsers Restaurant after spending the day in a workshop with the International Commission of Jurists on Freedom of Information. His arrest follows the arrest, earlier in the week, of 5 members of the People’s Parliament, Eldoret who were subsequently released without charges being preferred.

We have conflicting information with regard to the charge, we are being told “threatening”, “Stealing”, “Creating disturbance” but not with certainty. Nor do we have any information about the place and or time the alleged crime is said to have been committed.

We are concerned that there seems to be a systematic process to harass and or intimidate People’s Parliament members, particularly its leadership. There have been email circulating with malicious gossip targeted at members of the group, including Hassan by a group of persons whose intention and motives are unclear.

Hassan was arrested at a time when members of People’s Parliament had left the park where they gather, and conveniently on Friday evening so as to ensure that he spends the weekend in jail. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this renewed attempt to intimidate Hassan, and appeal for immediate support for Hassan Indusa.

Besides being a community worker within the Kamukunji Constituency where is serves in the Executive Committee of the Kamukunji Community Based Organizations Network (KCBONET), Hassan is the Chairman of KENGO and for the past 5 years, the elected speaker of People’s Parliament, Nairobi. He is a committed human rights activist who works every day to ensure that the rights of Kenyans are secured, and is an inspiration to many members of the networks in which he serves.

Intimidation is a tool of oppression. While we are confident that Hassan will not be cowered by this feeble attempt to malign his reputation and break his spirit, we nonetheless appeal for your support in securing his freedom.

We urgently need legal support for him, including representation. Besides, your intervention would go a long way.

Aluta Continua!!

Demands for the immediate release of Hassan Indusa should be sent to the following offices:

The Hon. Martha Karua

Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs

FAX: +254 20 316317

EMail: info justice.go.ke

Major General Mohammed H. Ali

Commissioner of Police

Email: commissioner police.go.ke
complaints police.go.ke
spokesman police.go.ke

The Daily Nation

FAX: +254 20 213946 or + 254 20 214531

The Standard

+ 254 20 337697

Capital

+254 20 334735

KISS FM

+ 254 20 4447410

Citizen

+ 254 20 2724220

KENGO Secretariat

Kenya Network of Grassroots Organisations

P.O. BOX 22708-00100

NAIROBI, KENYA

TEL: + 254 (0) 20 356 1313

CELL: + 254 (0) 722 747 575

CELL2: + 254 (0) 723 489 463

Web Site: http://www.kengonetwork.org
Alternate Email: info kengonetwork.org