KENYA
Forest Activists under attack!
The following statement has been passed on to us from the Jubilee 2000 Afrika Campaign. Contact details for sending messages of concern are at the bottom of the letter.
Dear Colleagues,
Please circulate this Statement about our on-going protest against the continuing thuggery, violence and repression being unleashed by the Police and other agencies of the state machinery against Environmental and Pro-Democracy Activists who are rising to the defence of Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya.
Wangari Maathai
As you already may be aware, prominent among such Activists being targetted for repression is Professor Wangari Maathai, the Coordinator of the Green Belt Movement (GBM) of Kenya, who is also one of the Honorary Co-Presidents of our J2000 AFRICAMPAIGN.
We strongly condemn the violent assaults by state and private armed gangsters upon demonstrating students, youth and other people, upon ecological and human rights defenders, as well as upon academic, religious and civic figures in Kenya. We deplore the arrest and ask for the immediate release of Dr. John Makanga, of the Parliamentarians Hon. James Orengo and Hon. David Mwenje, and also of the numerous others from amongst the protesting masses of the Kenyan people. In the same vein we decry the serious threat of arrest now being faced, among others, by Professor Wangari Maathai.
Acting in accordance with the letter and spirit of the conclusions of our 15th-17th November 1998 Meeting in Rome, Italy, we of the J2000 AFRICAMPAIGN call upon all our Friends everywhere, particularly those in the Jubilee 2000 global movement, to express internationalist solidarity with Professor Wangari Maathai and our Colleagues of the Jubilee 2000 AFRICAMPAIGN Kenya Coalition, of which the Green Belt Movement is one of the founding member-organisations. Moreover, we ask that it be demanded of President Daniel Arap Moi and the Government of Kenya to stop all kinds of state and non-state repression against the defenders of ecological and other human and people's rights in our sister country of Afrika.
Let us, to the benefit of the masses of Kenya, urgently swing our Jubilee 2000 Global Human Chain into action in order to generate the true internationalist solidarity of our combined Peoples' Power that will secure the triumph of Justice in accord with our proclamation of Liberty all over the Earth!!!
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
(KOFI MAWULI KLU)
International Coordinator,
Jubilee 2000 Afrika Campaign (J2000 AFRICAMPAIGN);
Member of the Board, Jubilee 2000 Coalition United Kingdom.
What You Can Do
Write letters of concern over the oppression of Professor Wangari Maathai and other environmental and pro-democracy activists who are rising to the defence of Karura Forest in Nairobi, Kenya. Ask for the immediate release of Dr. John Makanga, of the Parliamentarians Hon. James Orengo and Hon. David Mwenje, and also of the numerous others from amongst the protesting masses of the Kenyan people.
Contact Details:
Wangari Maathai
Jubilee 2000 Kenya Campaign
c/o Greenbelt Mvmt, PO Box 67545
Nairobi
KENYA
Tel: 00 254 2 603 867
Fax: 00 254 2 504264
gbm@iconnect.co.ke
His Excellency, President Daniel Arap Moi
Tel: 00 254 2 227 441
Fax: 00 254 2 211 660
Chief Justice Chesoni
Tel: 00254 2 221 221
Please contact for fax number (we are unable to obtain fax no. at present)
Press
... Daily Nation fax: 00 254 2 21 39 46
... Sunday Newspaper fax: 00 254 2 21 40 48
... People Daily fax: 00 254 2 22 33 44
... International Press: fax 00 254 2 21 07 54
... KTN (Broadcasting Line): 00 254 2 21 44 67
Law Society of Kenya fax: 00 254 2 22 39 97
Nick Buxton, Communications Manager, Jubilee 2000 Coalition, PO Box 100,
London SE1 7RT Tel: (0)171 401 9999 x23 Fax: 0171 401 3999
Email: nbuxton@jubilee2000uk.org
For the latest information on debt and Jubilee 2000, see our website at
http://www.jubilee2000uk.org
Source: Forwarded by John E. Peck, c/o UW Greens, 731 State St., Madison WI 53703
tel. #608-262-9036 fax. #608-251-3267 www.studentorg.wisc.edu/greens/
