Tanzanian authorities have intensified their repression of dissent against the opposition, journalists, civil society and human rights defenders in a deliberate strategy to instil fear, suppress civic engagement and entrench power, Amnesty International said today in a briefing released ahead of the country’s general elections on 29 October.
The general election is expected to be dominated by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Party, with the two main opposition presidential candidates locked out from contesting. Last month Luhaga Mpina was disqualified for a second time from running, while Tundu Lissu of the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), the biggest opposition party, is on trial for treason.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has dashed hopes for reform. Instead, under her watch, authorities have continued and intensified repressive practices targeting opposition leaders, civil society, journalists, and dissenting voices, including through assaults, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, with nobody held accountable,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa.
“Political opponents have faced politically motivated charges and in some cases their right to contest the vote has been denied.”
Authorities must end their unacceptable campaign of repression against dissent, which has escalated since the last elections five years ago. They must immediately and unconditionally drop trumped up and politically motivated charges against all those detained solely for expressing political and religious views or other beliefs, including opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
For the briefing, “Unopposed, unchecked, unjust: The disquiet beneath the 2025 Tanzania vote” Amnesty interviewed 43 victims, witnesses, family members of victims, legal representatives, and members of civil society organizations, and collated reports of attacks from media sources. All documented cases were verified through multiple independent sources where possible.
The Tanzanian authorities did not respond to Amnesty’s request for comment.
Abductions and unlawful killings
Amnesty International also documented widespread and systematic human rights violations—including enforced disappearances and torture and other ill-treatment, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures and activists.
The Tanganyika Law Society documented 83 cases of people going missing under mysterious circumstances as of August 9, 2024.
On 7 September 2024, the body of Ali Mohammed Kibao, a senior strategist for Chadema, was found dumped near the shores of the Indian Ocean a day after being abducted from a bus in Dar es Salaam.
On 26 July 2024, Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official, disappeared when he left home following a telephone conversation with an unidentified person. He is yet to be found. More than a year since Chadema youth activists Deusdedith Soka and Jacob Mlay, and Frank Mbise, a motorcycle taxi driver, were abducted by a group of men suspected to be police officers, their whereabouts remain unknown.
Amnesty International is calling for prompt and rigorous investigations into all reported abductions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and attacks, and for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Use of the criminal justice system and laws to repress the opposition
The authorities have also weaponized the criminal justice system against political opponents.
Opposition leader Tundu Lissu remains in detention facing charges for the non bailable offence of treason and publishing false statements, following comments he made on social media and on YouTube on 3 April 2025.On 24 April 2025, police arrested dozens of supporters outside the Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court, where Lissu was appearing. Many later reported being harassed, beaten, and subjected to treatment that may amount to torture or other ill-treatment, before being abandoned in remote areas such as Ununio and Pande Forest, about 43 km from central Dar es Salaam.
“Out of nowhere, a man who was wielding a long, pointed object jammed it through the inner ankle of my left leg, which left a gaping wound that was squirting blood. Through my bloodied eyes, I noticed that several of my captors were filming the ordeal, while laughing at and taunting us,” said one survivor.
In the run up to the elections, authorities have passed flawed laws and regulations that have further suppressed civic space, most notably amendments to the Political Parties Affairs Laws Act 2024 and the Independent National Electoral Commission Act 2024.
“Sadly, authorities have spent the last five years ripping apart the constitution. They have ramped up their clampdown on the civic space and the right to participate freely in elections through the passing of deeply flawed legislation that not only create room for violation of human rights but also attest to their zero tolerance of any opposing views both offline and online,” said Tigere Chagutah. of any opposing views both offline and online,” said Tigere Chagutah.
Restrictions on freedom of peaceful assembly, movement, association, expression and the media
Tanzanian authorities have systematically banned, disrupted, or violently dispersed peaceful gatherings, particularly those organized by opposition parties. Opposition leaders and activists have faced severe restrictions on their freedom of movement that have effectively prevented them from conducting normal political activities.
On 13 May 2025, Chadema deputy secretary general Amani Golugwa was arrested at Julius Nyerere International Airport as he was preparing to travel to Brussels to attend the International Democracy Union Forum. He said the police questioned him about allegedly sending information to individuals in the European Parliament. “They claimed that the information I shared dishonoured the country and may have contributed to the European Parliament issuing sanctions against Tanzania,” he added.“Without sustained pressure from Tanzania’s regional and international partners to reverse the clampdown on freedom of expression and human rights generally, the 2025 elections risk becoming a procedural exercise devoid of legitimacy, conducted in an environment where fear, violence, and exclusion have replaced open political participation,” said Tigere Chagutah.
Background
In a 2020 report, “Lawfare: Repression by Law ahead of Tanzania’s General Elections”, Amnesty International highlighted worrying human rights situation in the lead up to the polls and called on the Tanzanian authorities to respect and uphold human rights throughout the vote and after.
On 19 March 2021, Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the President of Tanzania, becoming the country’s first female head of state following the death of President John Pombe Magufuli. Her initial months in office were marked by a series of policy shifts that signalled a departure from the repressive governance style of her predecessor. These included lifting bans on certain media outlets and allowing opposition political parties to resume public rallies which had been arbitrarily restricted under President Magufuli’s administration. President Hassan also publicly committed to constitutional reforms and fostering a more inclusive political environment.
Despite these initial reforms, repression has intensified under President Hassan, particularly as the country approaches general elections on 29 October.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.