Tanzania opposition urges ICC and UN to investigate mass killings after disputed elections
Reports indicate that more than 700 people have been killed since protests erupted on Wednesday, after demonstrators took to the streets to contest the exclusion of key candidates from the polls in which President Samia Suluhu was declared the winner.
Tanzania's main opposition party, CHADEMA, has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations (UN) to urgently investigate reports of mass killings of civilians by government forces following last week's disputed elections.
Reports indicate that more than 700 people have been killed since protests erupted on Wednesday, after demonstrators took to the streets to contest the exclusion of key candidates from the polls in which President Samia Suluhu was declared the winner.
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In a statement on Sunday, CHADEMA accused the Tanzanian government of using “unnecessary and excessive force” against peaceful protesters, citing verified images showing bodies on the streets, hospitals overwhelmed with casualties, and reports of police officers allegedly removing corpses “to conceal evidence.”
"We strongly condemn the unnecessary use of force by the security organs of Tanzania against demonstrators who chose to exercise their constitutional and legal right to peacefully protest against the illegal exercise of the so-called elections," said CHADEMA.
Unreasonable use of force
"We call upon the security organs to immediately stop the excessive and unreasonable use of force against citizens who are peacefully demonstrating."
The party also appealed to the ICC and UN to launch an independent probe and hold those responsible accountable.
"We advise and appeal to the International Community, especially the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC), to urgently conduct an independent investigation into these killings committed by the government of Tanzania against its citizens and to take appropriate action," it said.
CHADEMA further called for the immediate restoration of internet services in Tanzania, warning that the blackout has disrupted communication, hindered access to emergency care, and made it difficult to verify unfolding events.
"We call upon the government to immediately restore internet services to facilitate citizens' communication and enable the provision of other social services more easily," it said.
The internet blackout has been condemned by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which said it violates Article 9 of the ACHPR, guaranteeing the right to receive information and to express and disseminate it.
"The Commission calls upon the Government of Tanzania to exercise its duty of protecting human rights in the country, by ensuring that the citizens' right to freedom of expression and access to information are respected and protected," said ACHPR in a statement on Saturday.
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