[JURIST] Several dozen Muslims in Kenya [JURIST news archive] protested in front of the Nairobi police headquarters Thursday, saying that the country has been detaining and torturing Muslim citizens at the request of the US government. The protesters alleged that suspects detained in Kenya were flown on secret rendition flights [JURIST news archive] to Ethiopia, where "aggressive interrogation" took place at the hands of Americans [JURIST report]. A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Nairobi [official website] told Reuters that the US was working heavily with regional powers to disrupt terrorism. Al-Amin Kimathi, chairman of Kenya's Muslim Human Rights Forum, was quoted by Reuters as questioning the extent to which the US exerted influence over the Kenyan government.

At the protest, the family of two brothers who were picked up during terror investigations presented a letter to police, demanding to know the brothers' status. The younger brother was allegedly picked up without charge or explanation by Kenyan police in January, before being taken to Somalia and then Ethiopia [JURIST news archives]. His relatives claim that they only heard from him once since then, and that he said he was being tortured. The older brother was picked up by police last week, but again relatives claim they have not been able to find out any details of his condition or whereabouts. Reuters has more.