GENEVA — United Nations human rights experts issued a scathing condemnation on Thursday, December 4, 2025, of what they described as widespread and systematic violations in Tanzania in the wake of the October 29 general elections. The statement highlighted allegations of hundreds of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and mass arbitrary detentions targeting protesters, opposition figures, and civil society members. This marks the latest in a series of international outcries over a crackdown that has plunged East Africa's most populous nation into its deepest political crisis in decades.
Activists hold a candlelight vigil to commemorate those who lost their lives in post-election violence in Tanzania, in Nairobi, Kenya on November 20, 2025. Participants carried flags and banners, sang solidarity songs, and lit candles. The United Nations Human Rights Office had reported that hundreds of people were killed in the protests that erupted after last month’s elections, in which President Samia Suluhu was declared the winner.
The experts, including independent rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary detention, emphasized the gravity of the situation in a joint press release from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). "The Government must provide information on the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons and ensure the identification and dignified return of the remains to their families," the statement urged. It further demanded that "all restrictions on media coverage must be lifted, as they are incompatible with Tanzania’s international obligations."
The elections, which saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party declared the winner with nearly 98% of the vote, unfolded against a backdrop of entrenched concerns about electoral integrity. Opposition parties, led by the Chadema alliance, had long decried legislative amendments that they argued skewed the playing field, including changes to voter registration and campaign finance rules that favored incumbents. Key figures, such as Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, were disqualified or detained on charges ranging from treason to sedition in the months leading up to the vote. Lissu, a vocal critic of the CCM's six-decade dominance since Tanzania's independence, was arrested in April 2025 after a rally in the southern region, where he accused authorities of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.
Pre-election repression extended beyond politicians to journalists, activists, and even foreign observers. In June 2025, UN experts documented over 200 enforced disappearances since 2019, many linked to the electoral cycle, including the abduction of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire in Dar es Salaam while monitoring Lissu's trial. Amnesty International reported a pattern of assaults, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings under Hassan's administration, which assumed power in 2021 following the death of strongman John Magufuli but failed to deliver promised reforms. "President Suluhu Hassan’s government has dashed hopes for reform," Amnesty's East Africa director Tigere Chagutah stated in an October briefing, noting that "political opponents have faced politically motivated charges and in some cases their right to contest the vote has been denied."
As results poured in on October 29, declaring Hassan's landslide victory amid boycotts by major opposition groups, fury erupted. Youth-led protests, fueled by high unemployment rates exceeding 30% among under-35s and perceptions of a rigged system, swept through Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, and Morogoro. Demonstrators torched polling stations, clashed with riot police, and chanted against CCM's "hegemonic" rule, drawing parallels to recent uprisings in other African nations.
The government's response was swift and brutal. Security forces, including military units, imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannons. UN experts cited chilling reports of officers receiving "shoot to kill" orders, resulting in at least 700 confirmed extrajudicial killings, with estimates from Chadema and human rights groups suggesting the toll could reach into the thousands. A BBC investigation verified graphic footage from Arusha showing police firing on unarmed protesters, leaving bloodied bodies in the streets. In Mwanza, over 200 deaths were reported on election day alone, with hospitals overwhelmed by gunshot wounds.
Compounding the horror were allegations of a systematic cover-up. Families described morgues emptying overnight, with bodies allegedly incinerated or buried in mass graves in areas like Mabwepande near Dar es Salaam. "There are disturbing reports that security forces have been seen removing bodies from streets and hospitals and taking them to undisclosed locations in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated on November 11. Relatives who identified remains were coerced into signing falsified death certificates attributing fatalities to "accidents" or "unknown causes."
More than 1,700 individuals—protesters, opposition members, human rights defenders, and activists—remain in detention, facing draconian charges such as treason and armed robbery. Courts have indicted over 100 for "intention to obstruct" the election, while the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has used nolle prosequi powers to selectively drop cases—a practice experts warn undermines due process. Human Rights Watch documented arbitrary arrests preceding the vote, including the disappearance of former ambassador and CCM whistleblower Humphrey Polepole.
A total internet blackout from October 29 to November 3 crippled documentation efforts, violating Tanzania's commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "This blackout severely curtailed the ability of human rights defenders and journalists to carry out their work," the UN experts noted. Social media platforms and messaging apps remained throttled into early November, prompting condemnation from the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. Reports also emerged of transnational repression, with Tanzanian agents surveilling exiled activists in Kenya and Uganda.
The crisis has ripple effects beyond Tanzania’s borders. Trade at the Namanga crossing with Kenya halted as protesters fled tear gas, disrupting supply chains for landlocked neighbors like Rwanda and Burundi. In Nairobi, candlelight vigils drew thousands on November 20 to honor the dead. Domestically, the Catholic Church decried the killings, with Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa'ichi stating at a funeral, "The punishment for protests is not to shoot and kill."
In response to mounting pressure, President Hassan announced a commission of inquiry on November 15 to probe the unrest's causes. She pledged leniency for some detainees and investigations into violence, but critics dismissed it as insufficient without guarantees of independence. The UN experts echoed this concern, insisting the panel must include victims and civil society to ensure "accountability, justice, and reparations, including guarantees of non-recurrence."
As new demonstrations are planned for December 9—International Human Rights Day—the experts implored authorities to safeguard peaceful assembly and prevent further bloodshed. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for "a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of excessive use of force." Foreign governments and the European Parliament have labeled the elections neither free nor fair.
Tanzania’s turmoil underscores broader democratic backsliding in Africa, where a youthful population demands accountability amid economic hardship. With over 60% of Tanzanians under 25, the protests represent a generational revolt against one-party entrenchment. Whether the government chooses dialogue and reform or further repression will determine the country’s path in the coming months.
