Tanzania: UN Human Rights Office Alarmed at Deaths in Tanzania in Post-Election Protests
Geneva — The UN Human Rights Office on Friday expressed alarm at deaths and injuries in election-related protests in Tanzania, in which there are reports of action against opposition figures.
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania,” said UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango, speaking by telephone from Nairobi at a UN press conference in Geneva.
The violent post-election scenes come in the aftermath of electoral campaigns marred by allegations of arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition figures, including the opposition Chadema party leader and his deputy.
There are also reported enforced disappearances of people expressing dissenting views, including the country’s former ambassador to Cuba.
A nationwide curfew is in place, and access to the internet appears to have been widely restricted since the Oct. 29 general election, without any official reasons being given.
There are reports of hundreds of deaths that cannot be accurately verified due to the communications clampdown.
“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, and to make every effort to de-escalate tensions. Protesters should demonstrate peacefully,” Magango stated.
He also urged the authorities in the country to fully uphold Tanzania’s obligations under international human rights law.
“They must promptly reinstate access to the internet and facilitate citizens’ full enjoyment of their rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly,” said Magango.
“Curtailment of communication will only further undermine public trust in the electoral process,” Magango said.
“All those in arbitrary detention must be immediately and unconditionally released, and those held legally must be accorded full due process and fair trial rights,” said Magango.
He urged the Tanzanian authorities to ensure prompt, impartial, and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, and to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
By Peter Kenny
