Agather Atuhaire, Boniface Mwangi Arrested in Tanzania Amid Tundu Lissu Trial Controversy
Dar es Salaam — Human rights activists Agather Atuhaire from Uganda and Boniface Mwangi from Kenya are reportedly being detained at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in a dramatic escalation of tensions surrounding the trial of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu.
According to social media posts and statements from regional civil society actors, the two activists were arrested in connection with their presence in the country to follow proceedings in Lissu’s high-profile legal battle.
Mwangi is reportedly facing possible charges under Tanzania’s immigration laws, with police allegedly threatening him with a three-year prison sentence.
The Kenyan activist was reportedly targeted after refusing to exit his hotel room at 2:00 a.m., when it was surrounded by armed police officers.
Sources close to the activists say he feared for his safety and opted to remain inside, prompting claims of non-compliance from Tanzanian authorities.
Atuhaire had earlier posted online that she was attending court in support of Lissu, saying she was awaiting a ruling on the legality of security officers’ presence in court and the state’s controversial request for the trial to proceed virtually.
“Let me sit near someone who can translate for me the decision,” she quipped in a tweet on Sunday morning, tagging the ongoing case as part of the broader Lissu trial.
Lissu, a former Tanzanian MP and vice-chair of the opposition CHADEMA party, is facing sedition and incitement charges related to comments he made criticizing government repression and the conduct of the 2020 elections.
His trial has drawn regional and international scrutiny, with concerns over judicial independence and state intimidation of critics.
The Tanzanian government has insisted that due legal processes are being followed, but the heavy police presence at the court, restrictions on observers, and now the detention of foreign activists have further fuelled accusations of political overreach.
The arrest of Atuhaire and Mwangi follows the earlier denial of entry into Tanzania for Kenyan opposition leader Martha Karua and two other lawyers, all of whom had travelled for the East Africa Law Society events in Dar es Salaam.
In response to the latest arrests, Ugandan human rights advocates have condemned the actions as a blatant violation of the East African Community (EAC) protocols on the free movement of citizens and the rights of civil society to monitor judicial processes.