Amnesty International has written to the Dutch authorities seeking to control the focus of their upcoming bilateral talks with the Kenyan authorities during their upcoming visit later in the week.
In the statement dated March 15, the international human rights advocacy group urged the Royal Family to base their discussions on human rights atrocities that have plagued the nation over the past few months.
The request sought to serve as a last-ditch effort after calls to stop the visit over the past few months failed to bear fruits.
“As Dutch authorities prepare for the official state visit to Kenya this week to intensify bilateral Dutch-Kenya relations, Amnesty International calls on both authorities to place human rights at the heart of the visit, address human rights violations, and commit to accountability for all victims following the recent brutal crackdown on human rights,” part of the statement read.
Amnesty Kenya Executive Director Irungu Houghton.
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Irungu Houghton
Since the Gen Z protests of June 2024, human rights activists have been campaigning against forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, making it a central argument in their campaign to stop the Dutch Royal Family visit.
Kenyans have written thousands of letters to the Dutch authorities and even started an online petition to stop the visit since it was announced a few weeks ago.
“The Dutch state visit to Kenya takes place following violent attacks on peaceful demonstrations, with many protestors killed or injured by the authorities,” the statement by Amnesty Kenya Director Irungu Houghton wrote.
In addition to addressing the abductions issue, Houghton urged the Royal Couple and the three Dutch ministers who will be visiting to put issues on economy, military and others on the back burner.
“The three Dutch ministers and the Royal Couple must use this opportunity to place human rights at the centre of diplomatic relations between Kenya and the Netherlands,” the statement read.
“Amnesty International urges both Kenyan and Dutch ministers to publicly outline during the visit how human rights in Kenya will improve. Economic, military, and other interests must not be prioritised at the cost of human rights.”
The Royal Couple is expected in the country for a state visit between Tuesday, March 18, and Thursday, March 20.
A section of Dutch Members of Parliament has also raised concerns over the couple’s visit to the country according to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) issue of March 10.
A photo of a section of the Netherlands’ capital city Amsterdam.
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Guardian