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| Credit: AFP |
Tanzania has released Ugandan lawyer and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire, who had been detained since Monday after attempting to attend the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. According to Ugandan rights group Agora Discourse, Atuhaire was found abandoned by Tanzanian authorities near the Mutukula border between Tanzania and Uganda late Thursday night.
The rights group reported that Atuhaire showed indications of having been tortured during her detention. She was discovered in a distressed and physically shaken condition but is now under the care of family and friends. This follows the earlier release of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was also detained alongside Atuhaire and found abandoned near the Kenyan border. Mwangi has publicly alleged that both he and Atuhaire endured severe torture while in Tanzanian custody.
Atuhaire and Mwangi had traveled to Tanzania to support opposition politician Tundu Lissu during his treason trial. Their arrests and subsequent treatment have drawn widespread condemnation from East African rights organizations and sparked concerns about increasing authoritarianism and suppression of democratic freedoms in the region.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan had earlier warned that foreign activists would not be permitted to interfere in the country’s internal affairs, a stance critics say has contributed to the crackdown on activists. The circumstances of Atuhaire’s release remain unclear, but human rights advocates continue to call for accountability and respect for the rights of activists and political observers in East Africa.
