As Tanzania prepares for the 2025 general elections, President Samia Hassan’s government stands accused of betraying the nation’s democratic promise.
Development Diaries reports that Amnesty International, in a recent briefing, said Tanzanian authorities have intensified their repression of dissent against the opposition, journalists, civil society and human rights defenders.
This, the organisation says, is a deliberate strategy to instil fear, suppress civic engagement and entrench power ahead of the country’s general elections on 29 October.
Instead of nurturing political freedom, President Hassan’s administration has deepened repression, using fear and force to silence dissent.
From the abduction and killing of opposition figures to the intimidation of journalists and human rights defenders, the state appears determined to stifle voices that challenge its authority, according to findings by Amnesty International.
The situation exposes grave human rights violations.
Tanzania is a signatory to international and regional frameworks such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), both of which protect the rights to life, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
The government is violating these obligations and eroding constitutional protections guaranteed to its citizens by permitting arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances, which exposes the government as one that disregards accountability and human dignity.
Furthermore, the weaponisation of laws such as the Political Parties Affairs Laws Act and the Independent National Electoral Commission Act shows how legal systems can be manipulated to silence opposition and shrink civic space.
The arrest and trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu on treason charges, alongside reports of torture and unlawful detention of his supporters, reveal a justice system being used as a tool of repression rather than fairness.
Additionally, restrictions on movement, association, and public assembly further deny citizens their right to political participation, a key element of any free and fair election.
Ahead of the 2025 polls, President Hassan must act decisively to restore public trust and Tanzania’s international reputation.
She must end the cycle of repression by releasing all those detained for political reasons, ordering transparent investigations into reports of abductions and killings, and safeguarding the independence of the judiciary and electoral commission.
President Hassan must now choose reform over repression and deliver on her early promise of a freer, more democratic Tanzania.
Photo source: Global Finance
