17 diplomatic missions condemn killings, urge independent inquiry in Tanzania
17 diplomatic missions and UN experts are pressing Tanzania to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings after the October 29 elections, release political detainees and ensure an independent, transparent inquiry.
The government of Tanzania is facing a sustained push by Western powers and the United Nations (UN) to account for the deadly violence that followed the recent elections, amid calls for an independent inquiry and the release of political detainees.
The latest push came on Friday morning from a joint statement by 17 diplomatic missions in Tanzania, which condemned the deadly violence following the country's October 29 election, urging the government to address reports of extrajudicial killings and ensure an independent inquiry.
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"We deeply regret the tragic loss of lives and numerous injuries in the wake of the elections. Credible reports from domestic and international organisations show evidence of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and concealment of dead bodies," the Statement read in part.
"We call on the authorities to urgently release all the bodies of the dead to their families, to further release all political prisoners and allow detainees legal and medical support. We further call on the government to address the recommendations made in the AU and SADC preliminary elections reports, which set out clear shortcomings in the electoral process."
The British High Commission, the Canadian High Commission, the Embassies of Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the European Union Delegation also endorsed the statement issued on November 2 by the EU High Representative, as well as the joint statement released on October 31 by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Norway, and the United Kingdom (UK) regarding the elections in Tanzania.
The missions reiterated calls on the government to uphold its international commitments to protecting fundamental freedoms and the constitutional rights to access information and freedom of expression for all Tanzanians.
"We welcome the government's recognition that understanding the root causes and circumstances of the violence, including deaths, is a vital step towards justice and reconciliation," they stated, noting, however, that "Any inquiry must be independent, transparent, and inclusive, bringing in civil society, faith-based groups, and all political actors".
The statement comes hours after the US announced that it has begun reviewing its diplomatic relations with Tanzania following the atrocities committed by the Samia-led administration in the run-up, during, and after the October 29 polls.
"The United States values its longstanding partnership with the people of Tanzania, which has brought prosperity to our populations and security to the region. Recent actions by the government of Tanzania, however, raise grave concerns about the direction of our bilateral relationship and the reliability of the Tanzanian Government as a partner," the US said.
Earlier, the UN human rights experts had also condemned reported widespread and systematic human rights violations in Tanzania following the general elections, noting the allegations of hundreds of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and mass arbitrary detentions targeting protesters, opposition figures, and civil society across the country.
The experts said the number of people extra-judicially killed in the aftermath of the elections is estimated to be at least 700 individuals, with other estimates pointing to thousands of potential victims as chilling reports persist on the disappearance of victims' bodies from morgues, and allegations that human remains are being incinerated or buried in unidentified mass graves.
"Family members who identified remains were reportedly forced to sign false statements about the cause of death to receive the bodies. The government must provide information on the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons and ensure the identification and dignified return of the remains to their families," the experts urged.
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