Prominent Ugandan human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has been detained in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, amid rising tensions over the ongoing trial of Tanzanian opposition politician Tundu Lissu.
Also arrested is Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi who is being detained the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam.
Their arrest follows the earlier denial of entry into Tanzania for Kenyan opposition leader Martha Karua and two lawyers who had travelled for East Africa Law Society events in the city.
The arrest of Atuhaire was confirmed by Godwin Toko of Agora Discourse, who revealed that she, as Team Leader at Agora Centre for Research, was in Dodoma as part of an East African Community (EAC) observer mission monitoring Lissu’s legal proceedings.
Social media posts and statements from regional civil society actors indicate that both activists were arrested due to their presence in the country to observe Lissu’s high-profile case.
Mwangi is reportedly facing possible charges under Tanzania’s immigration laws, with police allegedly threatening him with a three-year prison sentence.
Sources say Mwangi refused to leave his hotel room at 2:00 a.m. when armed police surrounded it, fearing for his safety. Authorities are now accusing him of non-compliance.
Atuhaire had earlier posted online that she was attending court in support of Lissu, writing, “Let me sit near someone who can translate for me the decision,” as she awaited a ruling on the legality of security officers’ presence in court and the state’s controversial request for the trial to proceed virtually.
Tundu Lissu, a former MP and vice-chair of the opposition CHADEMA party, is facing sedition and incitement charges over his criticism of government repression and the 2020 elections.
His trial has drawn regional and international scrutiny, raising concerns over judicial independence and intimidation of political critics.
Despite the Tanzanian government’s insistence that legal procedures are being followed, the heavy police presence at court, restrictions on observers, and now the detention of foreign activists have sparked accusations of political overreach.
No official charges have been filed against the detained activists. However, Ugandan human rights groups have condemned the arrests, calling them a blatant violation of EAC protocols on free movement and the rights of civil society to monitor judicial processes.
