Zimbabwean lawyer and human rights activist Brian Kagoro was reportedly stopped from travelling to Kenya on Tuesday, September 15, despite a High Court order issued directing that he be allowed entry.
In a statement by the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), Kagoro had boarded a flight in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bound for Nairobi when security personnel removed him from the aircraft and questioned him.
He was subsequently barred from reboarding the flight, leaving him unable to continue his journey to Kenya.
“The circumstances under which he was removed from the aircraft, questioned and prevented from continuing his journey are deeply concerning, particularly given the existing Court Order directing that he be granted entry into Kenya,” PALU stated.
The lawyer had been expected to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at around 1:30pm, where civil society groups and human rights defenders had planned to welcome him and witness the enforcement of the court order allowing his entry into Kenya.
The incident followed Kagoro’s detention at JKIA on February 22 and subsequent deportation to Johannesburg, South Africa, over allegations that he was involved in efforts to organise or finance anti-government protests in Kenya.
However, Kagoro, the Africa Director and Managing Director of Programmes at the Open Society Foundation, denied the allegations and maintained that his visit was for personal reasons and a speaking engagement.
