Tanzanian authorities have failed to hold anyone accountable for the violence security forces inflicted on protesters, which left
hundreds of people dead
and thousands of others injured in the wake of the 2025 general election, Amnesty International said on the first anniversary of the crackdown.
Instead of delivering justice and accountability, authorities have
withheld
a Commission of Inquiry report from the public and intensified attacks on civic space through the abuse of counterterrorism laws.
Not a single official has been criminally investigated, let alone prosecuted and punished for the excessive force that Tanzanian security forces used against protesters. In fact, the situation has only deteriorated since the crackdown began. In a classic tactic pulled out of the authoritarian playbook, the authorities are increasingly weaponizing counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear,”
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
The organization has documented how, over the past year, security agencies have committed human rights violations with impunity against government critics, opposition supporters, media organizations, and dissenting members of the ruling party. These include acts that may amount to torture or other ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, abductions, and severe restrictions of 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. In fact, the situation has only deteriorated since the crackdown began. In a classic tactic pulled out of the authoritarian playbook, the authorities are increasingly weaponizing counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.
Although the Commission of Inquiry re
… [more]
