Kenyan authorities have been accused of paying a network of trolls to threaten and intimidate young protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, Amnesty International has said.
The human rights organisation’s report alleges that government agencies also employed surveillance and disinformation to target organisers of the mass protests, which were driven largely by Gen Z activists using social media platforms.
The report claims that young women and LGBT+ activists were disproportionately targeted, with misogynistic and homophobic comments, as well as AI-generated pornographic images.
Amnesty spoke to 31 young human rights defenders who had participated in the protests, with nine receiving violent threats via social media platforms.
The authorities have been accused of carrying out a brutal crackdown on the protests, with over 100 people killed and allegations of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and lethal force used against protesters.
The government has denied sanctioning harassment or violence, but Amnesty says the report demonstrates a coordinated effort to silence and suppress the protesters.
