Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire reports severe torture, including sexual assault and abuse, by Tanzanian authorities while detained for supporting opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Ugandan lawyer and activist Agather Atuhaire has come forward with harrowing allegations of torture inflicted by Tanzanian security forces during her recent detention in Dar es Salaam.
Atuhaire, who was in Tanzania to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu, was arrested on May 19.
She was released near the Ugandan border on May 23
In an interview with AFP, Atuhaire described being stripped naked, beaten until she could no longer walk, sexually assaulted, and smeared with excrement.
She recounted that officers blindfolded her, chained her hands to her ankles, and subjected her to beatings on the soles of her feet.
One officer allegedly inserted an object into her anus, causing excruciating pain.
The entire ordeal was reportedly filmed by her captors to instill fear and humiliation.
Atuhaire was detained alongside Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who also reported being tortured.
Mwangi stated that both were taken to a secret location, blindfolded, and subjected to severe beatings.
He alleged that their torturers acted on orders from a Tanzanian state security official.
The U.S. State Department expressed deep concern over the reports, calling for an immediate and thorough investigation.
Amnesty International echoed this sentiment, urging Tanzanian authorities to investigate the alleged torture and forcible deportation of the activists.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan had previously warned foreign activists against interfering in the country’s affairs.
Following the incident, there has been no official response from Tanzanian authorities regarding the allegations.
