Rights groups demand justice after torture of activists Mwangi and Atuhaire in Tanzania
The Police Reforms Working Group – Kenya, a coalition of national and grassroots organisations, is pushing to petition Kenyan and Ugandan parliamentarians to summon their respective Foreign Affairs ministers.
A coalition of human rights organisations in Nairobi on Tuesday issued renewed demands for accountability over the detention and torture of activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire by Tanzanian authorities.
The Police Reforms Working Group – Kenya, a coalition of national and grassroots organisations, is pushing to petition Kenyan and Ugandan parliamentarians to summon their respective Foreign Affairs ministers.
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Led by Amnesty International Kenya Executive Director Irũngũ Houghton, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo, and two others, the group seeks accountability for the actions taken to protect their nationals and a clear outline of steps being pursued to secure justice and compensation for the trauma and suffering endured.
"The Police Reforms Working Group shall, with others, also formally petition Members of the East African Legislative Assembly to initiate a parliamentary public hearing," said Houghton.
The group is calling on the East African Community and the international community to demand that the government of Tanzania hold accountable the police officers and their commanding officers responsible for the torture, assault, and sexual assault committed against Boniface Mwangi and Agatha Atuhaire.
"Tanzania bears a duty under the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) to protect all people against torture. Torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment are serious crimes under multiple treaties and international law," said Houghton.
Chilling climate of fear
According to LSK President Faith Odhiambo, through a brutal campaign against dissent, Tanzanian authorities have created a chilling climate of fear, silencing anyone who criticises President Samia Suluhu Hassan ahead of the October 2025 elections.
"Unless urgently addressed, this and the brutal treatment of Boniface Mwangi and Agatha Atuhaire shall remain a stark indictment of violent repression and impunity under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government, and the East African Community's silence will render it complicit," noted Odhiambo.
On Monday, Activist Boniface Mwangi narrated the horrific assault at the hands of Tanzanian authorities after being allegedly detained in the country for several days, a few weeks ago.
Speaking during a press briefing, Mwangi recalled being stripped naked, flogged, and even sodomised using objects during his time in captivity in Tanzania.
A tearful Mwangi remembered his four captors taking off his handcuffs before putting on gloves and lifting him to tie him upside down.
"They tied me upside down, and then they started beating my feet. I was screaming so hard, but there were no tears coming out because of how painful it was. One of them suggested that they put underwear in my mouth, so they did. To drown my screams, they were playing gospel music," he stated.
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