Amnesty International has accused Tanzanian authorities of using counterterrorism laws to suppress dissent, a year after a crackdown on protests following the October 2025 general election left hundreds of people dead and thousands injured, according to the rights organisation.
In a statement marking the anniversary, Amnesty said no security official had been criminally investigated or prosecuted over the alleged excessive use of force against protesters.
The organisation also criticised the government for failing to publish a Commission of Inquiry report into the election-related killings, which was handed to President Samia Suluhu Hassan in April 2026.
Amnesty said the authorities had instead intensified restrictions on civic space, with reported cases of arbitrary arrests, abductions, enforced disappearances, alleged torture and limits on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“Not a single official has been criminally investigated, let alone prosecuted and punished for the excessive force that Tanzanian security forces used against protesters,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
The organisation said a second Commission of Inquiry was established in August 2026 to investigate those who planned, funded or carried out the violence, examine the use of force by security agencies and establish the whereabouts of missing people.
Amnesty called for the new inquiry to be independent, impartial and transparent, with its findings made public.
The rights group cited several cases involving opposition supporters and government critics who were allegedly abducted or detained before being charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Among those reported missing was Ibrahim Myovella, a youth leader with the opposition party CHADEMA, who disappeared with two friends in April 2026 after reporting to a police station in Iringa in line with their bail conditions. Authorities denied holding the three.
Amnesty also cited the case of David Djumbe, an aide to opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was allegedly abducted and beaten in May. He escaped, while police denied involvement and said they had opened an investigation.
The organisation further reported that at least 64 of 130 people arrested in connection with alleged plans to organise protests on Saba Saba Day in July were charged under counterterrorism legislation.
Amnesty said restrictions had also affected media organisations and online platforms. It cited the suspension of Mwanahalisi newspaper’s publishing and distribution licence for six months in August, as well as a 90-day suspension of Jambo Online TV’s online-broadcast licence in April. The latter resumed broadcasting in July after the suspension lapsed.
The organisation urged the government to drop terrorism charges against people it said had been unjustly detained, end harassment of peaceful critics, restore access to restricted social media platforms and allow journalists to work independently.
Tanzanian authorities had not responded to Amnesty International’s request for comment at the time of the statement.
