Stop torture in Tanzania
I always feared this day would come. I just never thought it would come in Tanzania. In Uganda, I knew my work made enemies. But in Tanzania, I had done nothing. Yet they came for me. They blindfolded me. The suffocation was immediate—nose, mouth, all covered. I’d never felt panic like that. When I heard Boniface’s screams, my fellow activist, my heart shattered. I knew what was coming.
They stripped me, beat me, and tied me up. Then they inserted objects into me—so violently, so cruelly, that in the moment, I wanted them to just rape me the “normal” way. Because anything had to be better than that.
The physical pain was unimaginable—but it is the psychological torment that haunts me. The degradation. The police—the very people meant to protect—handed me over to thugs. And it wasn’t just about me. It was about showing East Africans what would happen to anyone who dared speak up.
One of the guards, surprisingly human, showed me videos of protests happening for us. That was the moment I knew—our people saved us. Not governments. Not embassies. Ordinary East Africans. No guns. No power. Just their voices. That’s what terrified our captors.
What keeps me going is the belief in justice. If I had committed a crime, they should have charged me — but they didn’t. They tortured me because they could. And now, I will use every bit of my voice to make sure the world knows what they did: not just to me and Boni, but to every nameless Tanzanian they think no one will fight for.
To Tanzania's global partners:
As citizens from across the world, we are deeply alarmed by the human rights violations being perpetrated by Tanzanian security forces. We call on you immediately to:
As citizens from across the world, we are deeply alarmed by the human rights violations being perpetrated by Tanzanian security forces. We call on you immediately to:
- Condemn abuse and demand independent investigations;
- Suspend financial support until credible safeguards are in place;
- Tie all future aid to enforceable human rights standards.
Recent signers
They stripped me, beat me, and tied me up. Then they inserted objects into me—so violently, so cruelly, that in the moment, I wanted them to just rape me the “normal” way. Because anything had to be better than that.
The physical pain was unimaginable—but it is the psychological torment that haunts me. The degradation. The police—the very people meant to protect—handed me over to thugs. And it wasn’t just about me. It was about showing East Africans what would happen to anyone who dared speak up.
One of the guards, surprisingly human, showed me videos of protests happening for us. That was the moment I knew—our people saved us. Not governments. Not embassies. Ordinary East Africans. No guns. No power. Just their voices. That’s what terrified our captors.
What keeps me going is the belief in justice. If I had committed a crime, they should have charged me — but they didn’t. They tortured me because they could. And now, I will use every bit of my voice to make sure the world knows what they did: not just to me and Boni, but to every nameless Tanzanian they think no one will fight for."
These are the words of Agather Atuhaire, an activist tortured by Tanzanian secret police. As elections approach, the government has been facing accusations of orchestrating abductions and killing political opponents. Join the call to Tanzania’s global partners to put pressure on President Hassan and stop her slide into violent despotism.
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