The current wave of repression in Tanzania poses a direct threat to fundamental human rights and threatens to undermine the credibility of the 29 October 2025, general elections.
Development Diaries reports that the Tanzanian government has intensified political repression, raising grave concerns that the general elections will be free and fair, according to reports by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Instead of creating conditions for open and competitive polls, the government has silenced opposition parties, harassed activists, and restricted independent media, raising serious concerns about whether citizens’ voices will truly be heard.
Reports by HRW and local organisations reveal a climate of fear marked by abductions, arbitrary arrests, harassment, and torture of opposition figures, activists, journalists, and religious leaders.
For example, the Legal and Human Rights Centre documented about 100 cases of abductions and enforced disappearances between 2015 and February 2025, while the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition recorded 48 attacks on human rights defenders in 2024.
These statistics reveal a systematic attempt to silence dissent, in direct violation of Tanzania’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a party, guaranteeing freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
The manipulation of the electoral process further compounds these violations. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite its name, is appointed by the president and lacks judicial oversight, raising questions about its independence.
The electoral playing field has been heavily tilted in favour of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) as INEC has barred the main opposition party, the leader, Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) from participating until 2030.
It also disqualified the presidential candidate of the opposition Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo).
Such actions undermine Article 25 of the ICCPR and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, both of which Tanzania has committed to uphold.
Excluding opposition voices simply means the government is effectively denying citizens their right to meaningful political participation.
Without independent electoral institutions, the people’s right to freely choose their leaders cannot be realised.
Also, cracking down on the media has made Tanzania’s democracy even weaker.
It is understood that authorities have fuelled a climate of fear in the media space by blocking more than 80,000 websites and suspending the licences of major newspapers, including The Citizen and Mwananchi, effectively stifling independent journalism.
Blocking access to social platforms like X, Clubhouse, and Telegram further restricts Tanzanians’ access to information.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including access to information across all media.
Instead, the Tanzanian government is weaponising vague cybercrime laws to intimidate and silence journalists, driving some into exile and stripping citizens of their right to accurate information ahead of critical elections.
The pattern of attacks on opposition leaders, religious figures, and activists further illustrates the shrinking civic space.
HRW documented 10 cases of harassment, assault, abduction, and torture since mid-2024 alone, yet perpetrators remain unpunished.
This failure to investigate or prosecute such crimes violates Tanzania’s duty under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Article 4 and 5) to protect life and human dignity. It also breaches the obligation to provide effective remedies for human rights abuses.
In light of these developments, HRW’s call for urgent reforms is both timely and necessary.
Development Diaries calls on the government of Tanzania to stop silencing dissent, release arbitrarily detained opposition leaders and activists, and ensure credible, impartial investigations into abductions and attacks.
Most critically, with less than a month to the elections, we urge the government to guarantee the independence of the electoral commission, restore opposition participation, lift restrictions on the media and civil society, uphold its human rights obligations and prevent an election that risks being nothing more than a façade for entrenched authoritarianism.
Source: HRW
Photo source: Global Finance
