Latest news with #AgoraDiscourse
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Tortured' Ugandan activist dumped at border following arrest in Tanzania
A Ugandan human rights activist, arrested in Tanzania after travelling to the country to support an opposition politician at a trial for treason, has been tortured and dumped at the border, according to an NGO. Ugandan rights group Agora Discourse said on Friday that activist and journalist Agather Atuhaire had been 'abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities' and showed signs of torture. The statement echoes reports regarding a Kenyan activist detained at the same time and released a day earlier, and supports complaints of a crackdown on democracy across East Africa. Atuhaire had travelled to Tanzania alongside Kenyan anticorruption campaigner Boniface Mwangi to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday. Both were arrested shortly after the hearing and held incommunicado. Tanzanian police had initially told local rights groups that the pair would be deported by air. However, Mwangi was discovered on Thursday on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border. Agora Discourse said it was 'relieved to inform the public that Agather has been found'. However, the rights group's cofounder Jim Spire Ssentongo confirmed to the AFP news agency on Friday that there were 'indications of torture'. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been accused of increasing authoritarianism, amid rising concerns regarding democracy across East Africa. Activists travelling to Lissu's trail accused Tanzania of 'collaborating' with Kenya and Uganda in their 'total erosion of democratic principles'. Several high-profile political arrests have highlighted the rights record of Hassan, who plans to seek re-election in October. The Tanzanian leader has said that her government is committed to respecting human rights. However, she warned earlier this week that foreign activists would not be tolerated in the country as Lissu appeared in court. 'Do not allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here,' Hassan instructed security services. Several activists from Kenya, including a former justice minister, said they were denied entry to Tanzania as they tried to travel to attend the trial. Following his return to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Mwangi said that he and Atuhaire had suffered a brutal experience. 'We were both treated worse than dogs, chained, blindfolded and underwent a very gruesome torture,' he told reporters. 'The Government of Tanzania cannot hide behind national sovereignty to justify committing serious crimes and human rights violations against its own citizens and other East Africans,' the International Commission of Jurists in Kenya said in a statement.
Al Jazeera
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
‘Tortured' Ugandan activist dumped at border following arrest in Tanzania
A Ugandan human rights activist, arrested in Tanzania after travelling to the country to support an opposition politician at a trial for treason, has been tortured and dumped at the border, according to an NGO. Ugandan rights group Agora Discourse said on Friday that activist and journalist Agather Atuhaire had been 'abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities' and showed signs of torture. The statement echoes reports regarding a Kenyan activist detained at the same time and released a day earlier, and supports complaints of a crackdown on democracy across East Africa. Atuhaire had travelled to Tanzania alongside Kenyan anticorruption campaigner Boniface Mwangi to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday. Both were arrested shortly after the hearing and held incommunicado. Tanzanian police had initially told local rights groups that the pair would be deported by air. However, Mwangi was discovered on Thursday on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border. Agora Discourse said it was 'relieved to inform the public that Agather has been found'. However, the rights group's cofounder Jim Spire Ssentongo confirmed to the AFP news agency on Friday that there were 'indications of torture'. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been accused of increasing authoritarianism, amid rising concerns regarding democracy across East Africa. Activists travelling to Lissu's trail accused Tanzania of 'collaborating' with Kenya and Uganda in their 'total erosion of democratic principles'. Several high-profile political arrests have highlighted the rights record of Hassan, who plans to seek re-election in October. The Tanzanian leader has said that her government is committed to respecting human rights. However, she warned earlier this week that foreign activists would not be tolerated in the country as Lissu appeared in court. 'Do not allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here,' Hassan instructed security services. Several activists from Kenya, including a former justice minister, said they were denied entry to Tanzania as they tried to travel to attend the trial. Following his return to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Mwangi said that he and Atuhaire had suffered a brutal experience. 'We were both treated worse than dogs, chained, blindfolded and underwent a very gruesome torture,' he told reporters. 'The Government of Tanzania cannot hide behind national sovereignty to justify committing serious crimes and human rights violations against its own citizens and other East Africans,' the International Commission of Jurists in Kenya said in a statement.
DW
23-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Ugandan activist freed by Tanzania, 'indications of torture' – DW – 05/23/2025
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned earlier this week that foreign activists would not be allowed to interfere in the country's affairs. Tanzania has released Ugandan lawyer and activist Agather Atuhaire, who had been in custody since Monday after attempting to attend a treason trial for an opposition leader. Ugandan rights group Agora Discourse posted on X on Friday that Atuhaire had been found. "She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities," it said. Its co-founder Spire Ssentongo told the AFP news agency that "Agather is under the care of family and friends." "She was dumped at the border at night by the authorities and there are indications of torture," Ssentongo added. Accusations of torture Atuhaire is the second of two foreign activists — the other being Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi — who had been detained after arriving in Tanzania's most populous city, Dar es Salaam, to attend the first court appearance of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Mwangi is a prominent campaigner against corruption and police brutality in Kenya. He was also found abandoned on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation reported. "We were both treated worse than dogs, chained, blindfolded and underwent a very gruesome torture," Mwangi told reporters on his return to Nairobi. Is Tanzania's government trying to silence opposition? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In a post on X, Mwangi said the last time he had been held together with Atuhaire was on Tuesday, when he had heard her groaning in pain after being tortured. "Our (torturers) were acting on orders from a 'state security' employee who came to Immigration offices and followed us to Central Police Station and ordered we should be taken to a secret location to be given a 'Tanzanian treatment'," Mwangi said. Tanzanian officials had not commented on the arrests of Atuhaire and Mwangi. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, however, warned earlier this week that foreign activists would not be allowed to interfere in the country's affairs. She urged security services "not to allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here." What's behind the treason trial? Lissu, with whom the two activists wanted to show solidarity, is the leader of the country's main opposition party, Chadema. He came second in Tanzania's last presidential poll. Lissu was arrested last month and charged with treason over an alleged speech calling on Tanzanians to rebel and disrupt the country's presidential and parliamentary elections that are scheduled for October. The government claims that encouraging citizens to boycott the election is tantamount to an act of rebellion. Chadema was also disqualified from the elections after it refused to sign an electoral "code of conduct." Meet Tundu Lissu: The leader of Tanzania's Chadema party To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Growing crackdown on political opponents The case has highlighted a growing crackdown on opponents of President Hassan, whose party has nominated her to stand again. The 65-year-old leader became president after John Magufuli's death in 2021. Suluhu's tenure began with optimism, pledging to reverse many of Magufuli's controversial policies. However, she faced mounting criticism over frequent arrests, abductions, and killings of opposition politicians. Hassan has said the government is committed to respecting human rights, and ordered an investigation into reported abductions last year. Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
Eyewitness News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Ugandan activist arrested in Tanzania found 'tortured' at border: rights group
KAMPALA, UGANDA - A Ugandan activist who was arrested and held "incommunicado" in Tanzania after attempting to attend a treason trial for an opposition leader has been found at the Ugandan border with "indications of torture", a rights group said Friday. Ugandan activist and journalist Agather Atuhaire was arrested earlier this week alongside her Kenyan counterpart, Boniface Mwangi, a prominent campaigner against corruption and police brutality in Kenya. Atuhaire and Mwangi were among activists who went to Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu at the latest hearing of his treason trial on Monday. Ugandan rights group Agora Discourse posted on X on Friday that Atuhaire had been found. READ: Kenyan lawyer for Tanzania opposition leader arrested: spokesperson "She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities," it said. Its co-founder Spire Ssentongo told AFP that "Agather is under the care of family and friends". "She was dumped at the border at night by the authorities and there are indications of torture," Ssentongo added. Police in Tanzania initially told a Tanzanian rights group that Mwangi and Atuhaire would be deported by air. But Mwangi was also found abandoned on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, according to the local newspaper Daily Nation. "We were both treated worse than dogs, chained, blindfolded and underwent a very gruesome torture," Mwangi told reporters on his return to Nairobi. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan said earlier this week that foreign activists would not be allowed to interfere in the country's affairs. She urged security services "not to allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here".
Arab News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ugandan activist arrested in Tanzania found ‘tortured' at border: rights group
KAMPALA: A Ugandan activist who was arrested and held 'incommunicado' in Tanzania after attempting to attend a treason trial for an opposition leader has been found at the Ugandan border with 'indications of torture,' a rights group said activist and journalist Agather Atuhaire was arrested earlier this week alongside her Kenyan counterpart, Boniface Mwangi, a prominent campaigner against corruption and police brutality in and Mwangi were among activists who went to Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu at the latest hearing of his treason trial on rights group Agora Discourse posted on X on Friday that Atuhaire had been found.'She was abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities,' it co-founder Spire Ssentongo said that 'Agather is under the care of family and friends.''She was dumped at the border at night by the authorities and there are indications of torture,' Ssentongo in Tanzania initially told a Tanzanian rights group that Mwangi and Atuhaire would be deported by Mwangi was also found abandoned on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, according to the local newspaper Daily Nation.'We were both treated worse than dogs, chained, blindfolded and underwent a very gruesome torture,' Mwangi told reporters on his return to President Samia Suluhu Hassan said earlier this week that foreign activists would not be allowed to interfere in the country's urged security services 'not to allow ill-mannered individuals from other countries to cross the line here.'
