Premium
Lobbies demand sanctions over activists torture claims
Former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga(left) and Activist Boniface Mwangi after addressing journalists at Mageuzi Hub in Nairobi on June 2,2025, on the State of Human Rights in East Africa.
Human rights defenders have demanded sanctions against regional presidents and accountability after activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuahire were arrested, secretly detained and reportedly tortured in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, last month.
In a statement issued on Monday, civil societies led by former Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga condemned the actions as a gross assault on democratic values and basic human rights.
He also questioned the silence and inaction of regional and international bodies, including the East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community, the African Union (AU) and international allies, describing their response as “deafening.”
“We demand immediate international sanctions against President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, William Ruto of Kenya and Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba for continued atrocities against the people of East Africa,” Dr Mutunga added.
The lobbues further called on the Tanzanian government to provide a full explanation for the arrest, detention and expulsion of Mr Mwangi and Ms Atuahire.
Both activists reportedly held valid East African passports and return tickets at the time of their arrest.
They were part of a group of regional activists and lawyers who had traveled to Dar es Salaam to observe court proceedings involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu on May 19.
According to reports, security officers seized them from their hotels, held them incommunicado for three days and then forcibly expelled them, Mr Mwangi to the Kenyan border and Ms Atuahire to the Ugandan border.
Upon his return to Nairobi, Mr Mwangi posted photographs showing injuries to his face and neck, alleging that he had been blindfolded, beaten and interrogated because of his activism.
Ms Atuahire, a Ugandan journalist and government critic said she was subjected to physical assault, threats and sexual violence.
The activists are now urging the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to launch an inquest into these and other similar allegations of illegal detention and torture across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Arrest and torture
“We demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of all Tanzanian officials involved in these actions. Additionally, an inquest into allegations of illegal detention and torture must be undertaken by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania,” their joint statement reads.
The coalition has pledged to invoke international human rights mechanisms, including United Nations special procedures, to pressure Tanzania into ratifying the UN Convention Against Torture.
Closer to home, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was urged to halt the implementation of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (Amendment) Bill 2025, which activists warn could “subject civilians to trial in military courts.”
In Kenya, the coalition called for the prosecution of all individuals implicated in the abduction, disappearance and killings of youth since June 2024.
They also demanded the immediate release of Ruth Njeri, a website developer who was arrested for allegedly creating an application allowing Kenyans to reject specific clauses in the 2025 Finance Bill.
On Sunday, activists and family members held a vigil outside Pangani Police Station demanding Njeri’s release after she was denied bail.
“President Ruto and the Parliament of Kenya, heed the cries of Kenyans and allow public participation on the 2025 Finance Bill. Release Ruth Njeri now, and we condemn the harassment of young people exercising their civic duty,” Dr Mutunga said.
The coalition also urged the governments of Tanzania and Uganda to release opposition figures Tundu Lissu and Dr Kizza Besigye, along with all political prisoners held on what they described as fabricated charges.
Furthermore, they called for the deployment of diplomatic observers to all legal proceedings involving opposition leaders and activists to ensure transparency and accountability.
“We look to the EAC, the East African Court of Justice, the International Commission of Jurists, foreign embassies in East Africa, and the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights to act decisively. The time for silence is over. We stand with the people of East Africa who are determined to end impunity,” Dr Mutunga said.