Regional and local civil society organizations have denounced Tanzania’s upcoming elections as a ‘sham’, accusing President Samia Suluhu’s administration of orchestrating a systematic crackdown on political opposition, human rights, and media freedoms.
In a joint statement issued under the banner #JumuiyaNiYetu, the Pan-African Progressive Leaders Network, Vocal Africa, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and PAWA 254 condemned what they described as a coronation, not an election.
“There are no free and fair elections happening in Tanzania. Samia Suluhu is preparing for her coronation, as her only opposition is her very own shadow,” the groups said.
The activists alleged widespread human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, torture, rape, and extrajudicial killings targeting opposition members and government critics.
They claimed more than 250 cases of enforced disappearances have been documented, many involving supporters of the opposition party CHADEMA.
According to the statement, CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu has been violently arrested and charged with treason for demanding electoral reforms.
The party has since been banned from participating in the elections and prohibited from holding political activities.
“Officials of CHADEMA and civilians alike have been arrested, assaulted, and barred from attending the sham trial of Lissu,” the statement read, citing multiple victims who have publicly shared their accounts of torture by security forces.
The groups accused the Tanzanian authorities of weaponizing law enforcement against citizens, noting that the government had scaled up police deployments in what they termed a ‘war against the people.’
The statement also highlighted the targeting of religious leaders who have spoken out against state repression.
The Ufufuo na Uzima Church, led by outspoken Bishop Dr. Josephat Gwajima, was deregistered earlier this year after criticizing enforced disappearances. Other clergy, including Bishop Benson Bagonza and Bishop Dickson Kabigumila, have fled the country over death threats.
Media freedom has also come under intense pressure, with international journalists barred from covering the elections and several local media outlets stripped of licenses.
“All international media bodies have been denied entry into Tanzania,” the statement said, accusing the government of criminalizing dissent and tightening control over online spaces.
The coalition further criticized regional and continental bodies for failing to act. The African Union (AU) and the East African Community (EAC), they said, have turned a blind eye to violations in Tanzania.
“Africans are rightfully outraged that the AU, an institution meant to defend democracy, has chosen silence over principle,” they declared.
The claims add to growing international concern over the credibility of the polls and the state of democracy in one of East Africa’s largest nations.
The statement ended with a warning to authoritarian regimes across Africa, declaring that citizens were mobilizing to reclaim their freedoms.
“As despots regroup to oppress citizens, we, as the citizens, are regrouping to reclaim our countries and our inherent freedoms,” the groups stated.
The Tanzanian government has not yet issued an official response to the allegations.
