A Ugandan human rights activist, Agather Atuhaire has accused Tanzanian authorities of torture following her arrest and forced deportation, sparking widespread condemnation from East African rights groups.
Agather Atuhaire, a journalist and activist who recently received the International Women of Courage Award, was reportedly arrested after attending a treason trial in Tanzania in support of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. She had traveled alongside Kenyan anti-corruption activist Boniface Mwangi, who was also detained.
According to Ugandan NGO Agora Discourse, Atuhaire was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian officials showing signs of physical abuse. “We are relieved she has been found,” said Jim Spire Ssentongo, the group’s co-founder, who confirmed indications of torture.
The arrest occurred shortly after Lissu’s court appearance on Monday. Though Tanzanian police initially claimed the pair would be deported by air, Mwangi was found Thursday near the Kenyan border, also alleging he had been tortured. “We were treated worse than dogs — chained, blindfolded, and subjected to gruesome torture,” he said upon his return to Nairobi.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, with critics accusing her government of eroding democratic freedoms and cooperating with neighboring regimes to suppress dissent. While Hassan has maintained her commitment to human rights, she recently warned against foreign activists interfering in domestic affairs.
Several Kenyan activists, including a former justice minister, reported being barred from entering Tanzania to attend the trial. Regional human rights organizations have condemned the treatment of Atuhaire and Mwangi, calling it part of a broader crackdown on civil liberties across East Africa.
“The Government of Tanzania cannot invoke sovereignty to excuse acts of torture and violations against citizens and activists,” the International Commission of Jurists in Kenya said in a statement.