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6d ago

Kenyan and Ugandan Activists Allege Torture and Sexual Assault by Tanzanian Security

Their detailed testimony has intensified pressure on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government to explain the treatment of foreign activists ahead of disputed elections.

Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi is comforted by his wife, Njeri Mwangi, as he addresses a press conference together with Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire, with whom he was detained upon arrival in Dar es Salaam to attend the first court appearance of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, and later released, in Nairobi, Kenya June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who were both detained upon their arrival in Dar es Salaam to attend the first court appearance of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, and later released, react as they address a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate of CHADEMA party, Tundu Lissu, reacts as he arrives at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman
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Overview

  • Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire said they were abducted on May 19 in Dar es Salaam after attending Tundu Lissu’s court hearing and held incommunicado for days.
  • They recounted being stripped, beaten, subjected to sexual assault with objects and forced to thank President Hassan under duress.
  • Both activists were deported on May 22—Mwangi to the Kenyan border and Atuhaire to the Ugandan border—after being denied legal access.
  • Tanzanian authorities have not responded to requests for comment on the allegations, despite President Hassan’s earlier warnings to foreign activists.
  • Human rights groups and Western governments are demanding investigations as the case highlights a broader crackdown on dissent ahead of October elections.