Kenyan protest killings: Timi Frank urges ICC to investigate

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate and prosecute the heads of security agencies responsible for the killing of innocent protesters in Kenya. He labelled these actions as crimes against humanity. Frank also urged Kenyan President William Ruto to apologise to the Kenyan people for proposing legislation that was widely seen as anti-people, a move that was retracted after significant public backlash.

In a statement released in Abuja, Frank expressed his strong support for the Kenyan youths who stood against what he described as dictatorial tendencies within the government, despite his personal friendship with President Ruto. He called on the international community, particularly the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union, to impose visa bans on the security agency heads implicated by the ICC following a thorough investigation.

“Those who issued orders to security agencies to shoot at and kill innocent and peaceful protesters must be urgently fished out and prosecuted according to international law,” Frank asserted.

He highlighted that the right to protest is enshrined in numerous international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He insisted that these rights impose an obligation on the state, including the Kenyan government and armed forces, to facilitate safe protests and not to harm protesters.

“Protest is a public demonstration of disapproval and not a criminal action. Therefore, to kill lawful citizens for protesting is a crime against humanity which must be condemned by all, with attendant sanctions on perpetrators to serve as a deterrent,” Frank said. “We stand with the Kenyan protesters and mourn those who have paid the supreme price. We urgently demand the International Criminal Court to go after those that killed protesters.”

Frank lamented that many Kenyans, particularly the youths now being targeted, had voted for Ruto with the belief that he would be a people’s president. He stated that apologising to the youths and the broader Kenyan population is not a sign of weakness but an action that could foster peace and stability.

“Apologising to the youths and by extension Kenyans is not a sign of weakness but an action that will further endear him to the people and bring the much-needed stability and peace in Kenya,” he stated.

Frank called on President Ruto to prioritise the wishes of the Kenyan people, as they were the ones who elected him into power.