Overview

• At a Nairobi press conference, Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire described beatings, foot whipping and the insertion of objects into their anus by Tanzanian agents during their May abduction.
• The pair were seized on May 19 in Dar es Salaam while supporting opposition leader Tundu Lissu and were released near the Kenya and Uganda borders on May 22 and 23.
• They have filed a formal complaint in Tanzanian courts accusing security forces of torture and demanding accountability under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
• Opposition leaders and human rights organizations assert the government is reverting to the authoritarian practices of former president John Magufuli.
• The case has intensified concerns over political repression as main opposition candidate Tundu Lissu remains charged with treason ahead of October’s presidential and legislative elections.