The national human-rights commission stated Friday that 19 people have been killed and 15 more are still unaccounted for amid protests in Kenya marking the anniversary of a major assault on anti-tax demonstrations.  

Thousands of people flocked to Kenya's streets for Wednesday's anniversary protests, which descended into pandemonium as young men fought police and trashed thousands of businesses.

“The Commission strongly condemns all human rights violations and urges accountability from all responsible parties,” the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said in a statement.

It said it had so far documented 19 fatalities in Wednesday’s violence and 15 “enforced disappearances”.

Compared to the prior death toll of 16, that was an increase.  According to the official organization KNCHR, 179 individuals had been arrested and 531 people had been injured.  Human Rights Watch demanded that those in charge of the violations be held responsible.

“Kenyan authorities should not treat protesters as criminals,” said Otsieno Namwaya, associate Africa director at the rights group.