UN Experts Decry Mass Killings and Repression in Tanzania After 2025 Elections

The experts demanded that authorities disclose the fate and whereabouts of every disappeared person and ensure that victims’ remains are returned to their families with dignity.

UN human rights experts issued a stark condemnation of what they describe as widespread, systematic, and coordinated human rights violations across Tanzania in the aftermath of the 29 October 2025 general elections. According to the experts, the scale and severity of abuses—including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, mass arbitrary detentions, media restrictions, and digital repression—mark one of the gravest human rights crises Tanzania has faced in decades.

Alarming Reports of Killings, Disappearances, and Repression

The experts highlighted reports indicating that at least 700 people were killed by security forces during and after nationwide protests, though some estimates suggest the death toll may reach into the thousands. These killings reportedly occurred under a government-imposed curfew during which security personnel were instructed to “shoot to kill.”

Disturbing allegations have surfaced that bodies of victims were removed from morgues, incinerated, or disposed of in unidentified mass graves. Families who located their relatives’ remains were allegedly forced to sign falsified documents misrepresenting the cause of death.

The experts demanded that authorities disclose the fate and whereabouts of every disappeared person and ensure that victims’ remains are returned to their families with dignity.

Opposition Targeted Amid a Compromised Electoral Process

Long-standing concerns about democratic backsliding intensified during the election period. Opposition leaders had been detained, forcibly disappeared, disqualified, or otherwise prevented from contesting. Legislative amendments weakened electoral safeguards, while activists and civil society actors were harassed or detained in the months leading up to the vote.

After the elections, large-scale youth-led protests emerged nationwide, challenging the ruling party’s legitimacy. Security forces responded with lethal force, using military units alongside police to quell demonstrations.

Mass Arrests and Severe Criminal Charges

More than 1,700 protesters, opposition figures, and human rights defenders have reportedly been detained, many facing grave criminal accusations such as treason, conspiracy, and armed robbery. Experts expressed alarm that Tanzania’s Directorate for Public Prosecutions invoked nolle prosequi, potentially obstructing due process and enabling arbitrary detentions to continue indefinitely.

Media Shutdown and Information Blackouts

From 29 October to 3 November 2025, Tanzania experienced a complete internet shutdown, severely limiting journalists, activists, and monitors from documenting violations or communicating with the international community. Media restrictions remain widespread, with the experts calling such measures incompatible with Tanzania’s human rights obligations.

Transnational Surveillance and Spillover Repression

The experts also voiced concern about transnational repression, including surveillance and targeting of Tanzanian activists working from neighboring countries. Such cross-border intimidation, they warned, could destabilize regional human rights protections.

Calls for Independent Investigation and Accountability

While acknowledging the government's creation of a commission of inquiry, the UN experts stressed that it must be fully independent, transparent, and inclusive of victims and civil society. They urged the commission to produce credible recommendations that guarantee justice, reparations, and non-recurrence.

Ahead of planned nationwide demonstrations on 9 December 2025, the experts called on Tanzanian security forces to refrain from excessive force and uphold the right to peaceful assembly.

The experts confirmed they remain in contact with the Tanzanian Government and stand ready to provide technical assistance to ensure accountability and prevent further deterioration of human rights conditions.