Paris, 30 October 2025. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) strongly condemns the alarming escalation of state violence, censorship, and repression that marked Tanzania’s general elections on 29 October 2025. As millions of Tanzanians went to the polls, opposition leaders were either in prison or barred from running, resulting in an election described by observers as a predetermined exercise for President Samia Suluhu Hassan to extend her rule.
Throughout Wednesday, protests erupted in Dar es Salaam and other major cities including Dodoma, Arusha, Mbeya, and even border towns like Tunduma. Demonstrators set buses and police stations ablaze, chanted "We want our country back", and called for genuine electoral reform. Police responded with tear gas, military deployments, curfews, and live fire, with several reports suggesting as many as thirty people may have been killed. By Wednesday evening, Tanzanian authorities had imposed a strict curfew in Dar es Salaam and closed schools, colleges, and public offices nationwide. Roadblocks staffed by police and army prevented most movement except for emergency workers.
Simultaneously, authorities enforced a sweeping internet and communications blackout, preventing Tanzanians from accessing independent information or exposing abuses, effectively silencing victims and shielding abusers from scrutiny. Local media and foreign reporters were subjected to intimidation, threats, and censorship, exacerbating the climate of fear. Rights groups, including FIDH, documented escalation of abductions, arrests, and torture targeting opposition figures and journalists in the election lead-up.
Alice Mogwe, FIDH President, stated: "A blackout, curfews, and violent repression have cast a shadow over Tanzania’s electoral process and fundamental freedoms. Yet, civic energy and public demands for change remain strong. The African Union and East African Community have a clear responsibility: they should publicly reject any election which fails to meet basic democratic and human rights standards, and urgently press Tanzanian authorities to restore civic space, ensure genuine pluralism, and allow for an independent investigation into election-day abuses."
These events are neither isolated nor sudden. Over recent months, Tanzania’s civic space has contracted at an alarming rate. Authorities have ramped up crackdowns on public protests and imposed blanket bans on opposition gatherings, while media houses and journalists have faced growing intimidation and censorship. Prominent opposition leaders, including Tundu Lissu, have been detained on politically motivated charges, attacked, or barred from political activity altogether. Independent online platforms—including those documenting abuses—have been blocked or suspended, fueling fears that information is being systematically suppressed in the run-up to and during the elections. International observers and rights groups have sounded the alarm for months about escalating risks to fair political participation and the rule of law.
Recommendations
To the Government of Tanzania
– Restore full access to the internet and communications platforms and immediately lift the blackout to allow free flow of information and independent reporting.
– Establish an independent investigation into all reports of election- and post-election-day violence, deaths, and abuses, with full accountability for the law enforcement officials involved.
– End indiscriminate police and military use of force against peaceful demonstrators and guarantee constitutional rights of assembly and expression.
– Release detained opposition leaders and activists, and cease judicial harassment and use of treason charges to silence dissent.
– Guarantee access for international and domestic election observers to all phases of electoral process and post-election investigations.
– Ensure media freedom, protect journalists, and abolish arbitrary censorship and intimidation.
– Reform electoral laws and procedures to restore pluralism and ensure future elections reflect the will of the Tanzanian people.
To the African Union (AU), East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and international partners
– Formally refuse to recognise or legitimise the outcome of elections that fail to meet minimum democratic standards and are marred by exclusion, intimidation, and violence.
– Immediately call on Tanzanian authorities to restore full access to the internet and communications platforms, and monitor compliance.
– Demand the creation of an independent investigation—ideally under AU auspices—to shed light on all reports of election- and post-election-day violence, deaths, and abuses, and to ensure accountability for law enforcement and government officials responsible.
– Use all available diplomatic channels, such as AU Peace and Security Council and EAC ministerials, to press Tanzania to guarantee constitutional rights of assembly, media freedom, and the protection of rights defenders.
– Stand publicly and visibly with Tanzanian citizens, civil society organisations, and opposition leaders against any violence, repression, or arbitrary arrest, and offer urgent protection support to human rights defenders at risk.