Kenya: crackdown on protests leaves at least 39 dead 

During the demonstrations against the Finance Bill 2024 budget project in Kenya last June, the repression caused the death of 39 people while 361 were injured. The Kenyan people took to the streets en masse to protest against President Ruto and this new tax reform bill, which will hit Kenyans' purchasing power hard.

Despite the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, the response of the authorities was marked by the use of unnecessary and unjustified force, resulting in the death of several people and serious injuries.

The forces of law and order have been responsible for numerous violations of people's fundamental rights, as the High Court of Kenya has pointed out that Article 37 of the Constitution of Kenya guarantees every citizen the right to take part in an assembly, to demonstrate, to assemble to protest and to present petitions to the public authorities peacefully and without arms.

International human rights standards, as formulated by the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), in particular the right of peaceful assembly, were also violated.