Tanzania has released Ugandan lawyer and human rights advocate Agather Atuhaire, the second of two foreign activists detained earlier this week for supporting embattled opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who is currently facing treason charges.
Her organisation, the Agora Centre for Research, confirmed her release on Friday, stating she was “abandoned at the Uganda-Tanzania border” under unclear circumstances.
Atuhaire had been held without formal charges since Monday, along with prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was similarly expelled on Thursday.
Mwangi later alleged they were subjected to torture while in Tanzanian custody, stating that their detention was directed by a figure he identified as a “state security” official.
“Our torturers acted on the orders of a state security operative who escorted us from Immigration to Central Police and instructed that we be taken to a secret location for ‘Tanzanian treatment,’” Mwangi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He claimed the last time he saw Atuhaire was Tuesday, and that he could hear her groaning in pain from an adjacent cell.
The Tanzanian government has yet to comment directly on the allegations. However, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, speaking on Monday, issued a stern warning to foreign activists against “invading and interfering in Tanzania’s internal affairs”—a statement that observers say could signal growing intolerance toward international scrutiny.
The arrests came as both activists traveled to Dar es Salaam to witness the court appearance of Tundu Lissu, a prominent opposition figure and former presidential candidate. Lissu, who finished second in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested last month on treason charges over what prosecutors described as a call for civil unrest.
His arrest has drawn strong condemnation from rights groups, who view it as part of an escalating crackdown on dissent ahead of elections scheduled for October.
President Hassan, who initially won praise for softening the hardline tactics of her predecessor, has faced increasing criticism for what rights organisations describe as a rollback of democratic freedoms. These include arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and rising attacks on political opponents.
Although Hassan has publicly pledged to uphold human rights and even ordered an investigation into reported abductions last year, critics argue that recent actions suggest a reversal of that commitment.
Repeated requests for comment by Tanzanian government spokespersons, police, and immigration officials regarding the activists’ detention and allegations of torture have gone unanswered.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations across East Africa have demanded an independent investigation into the activists’ treatment and renewed calls for international attention to Tanzania’s human rights situation.
“Detaining foreign human rights defenders and allegedly subjecting them to torture not only violates international law—it sends a dangerous message to activists everywhere,” said one regional human rights coalition.
As scrutiny intensifies and opposition voices face mounting pressure, Tanzania’s democratic trajectory remains uncertain just months ahead of a pivotal national election.
