Tanzania: IBAHRI, Lawyers Condemn Rights Abuse
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and Lawyers for Lawyers express deep concern over the recent arbitrary detention, incommunicado confinement and alleged torture of Ugandan human rights lawyer and civic advocate Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan journalist and activist Boniface Mwangi by Tanzanian authorities. These actions represent serious violations of international human rights standards and a direct contravention of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers , underscoring a troubling trend of shrinking civic and democratic space, and judicial independence across countries in East Africa.
Agather Atuhaire is a prominent lawyer, journalist, and anti-corruption advocate in Uganda. She is co-founder of Agora Discourse , a civic platform known for exposing institutional corruption. Ms Atuhaire has been repeatedly targeted due to her work, including being arrested in January 2025 during peaceful protests and facing persistent threats following her reporting on parliamentary corruption.
Boniface Mwangi is a respected Kenyan photojournalist and social justice activist, well known for his documentation of the 2007-2008 post-election violence and his founding of PAWA254 , a creative hub for activism. Mr Mwangi has faced numerous arrests, state harassment and threats for his outspoken criticism of government corruption and abuses.
On 19 May 2025, Ms Atuhaire and Mr Mwangi were arrested in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania while attending the treason trial of Tanzanian lawyer and opposition leader Tundu Lissu, prosecutions punishable by the death penalty if found guilty. Despite assurances from Tanzanian authorities that both individuals would be deported, they were instead held incommunicado, denied access to legal counsel and contact with family or consular representatives, in clear violation of international norms and Tanzania’s own constitutional safeguards.
On 22 May, Mr Mwangi was released at the Kenya-Tanzania border, exhibiting signs of severe torture and requiring immediate medical attention. Ms Atuhaire was released at Uganda’s Mutukula border post on the same day, also showing signs consistent with torture and ill-treatment and in need of urgent medical care.
Violations of legal standards
Recommendations
We call on the Tanzanian government to:
We urge the international community, including the African Union and UN, to monitor the situation closely and support efforts to uphold human rights and democratic principles in East Africa.
https://www.ibanet.org/Tanzania-IBAHRI-and-Lawyers-for-Lawyers-issue-statement-on-the-arbitrary-detention-and-alleged-torture-of-human-rights-defenders