UATC and Partners Call on UN Member States to Confront Escalating Repression, Torture, and Impunity in Tanzania
As States prepare for the UN Human Rights Council’s review of Tanzania in October-November 2026, the United against Torture Consortium (UATC) and partners urge UN Member States to respond to the country’s troubling human rights situation with heightened scrutiny, and to put forward recommendations that reflect the gravity and systematic nature of ongoing violations.
A coalition of UATC members, specifically IRCT, FIACAT, Omega, OMCT, and REDRESS, together with Change Africa Trust, the Center for Strategic Litigation, and the Pan African Lawyers Union, has submitted a joint report to inform Tanzania’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This international process, through which States examine each other’s human rights records, provides a key opportunity to assess conditions in the country, drawing on first-hand information from civil society organisations documenting the realities faced by victims and survivors.
Since Tanzania’s last UPR in 2021, the country has continued to witness a pattern of serious violations, including torture and other ill‑treatment, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, and a crackdown on freedoms of expression, assembly, digital rights, and access to information.
The period surrounding the 2025 elections underscored the entrenched nature of repression. Crackdowns on protesters, arbitrary detention of political opponents and activists, and the use of excessive force by police and security forces were widely reported. Internet shutdowns and the blocking of digital platforms were used to control information flows and suppress political speech. These practices were documented before the electoral period and have continued beyond it, raising serious concerns about the Government’s commitment to uphold its human rights obligations.
These violations are not isolated acts but reflect a systematic and escalating pattern. Human rights defenders, journalists, opposition figures, and others perceived to be critical of the Government remain particularly at risk. Many face harassment, intimidation, or physical abuse, while others have been abducted or held incommunicado. In many cases, there are no effective investigations.
As violations occur with near-total impunity, abuses go unpunished, and victims and survivors fear retaliation. Survivors report an absence of remedies, and families searching for answers are often left without information, justice, or accountability.
The UATC and partners’ submission exposes the scale and nature of the violations and sets out targeted recommendations to address key gaps in protection and accountability. A more detailed analysis and a comprehensive set of recommendations are available in the full submission.
Core priorities
- Ratify key treaties: Tanzania remains one of only 21 States worldwide – and one of just two in Africa – yet to ratify the UN Convention against Torture and has not completed ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
- Criminalise and prevent torture: Adopt a standalone offence of torture in domestic law and establish safeguards for detainees.
- End repression and abusive practices: Halt arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and excessive use of force, including in the context of protests and elections, and provide regular human rights training to law enforcement.
- Ensure accountability and redress: Conduct prompt, independent, and effective investigations into all violations and guarantee full reparations for victims and survivors.
- Protect civic space: Lift restrictions on media, digital platforms, and civil society, and refrain from internet shutdowns and censorship.
As Tanzania enters its next UPR cycle, UN Member States have a critical opportunity to press for concrete change. These recommendations would be an essential step toward strengthening accountability, restoring rights protections, and ensuring justice for victims and survivors.
Photo by: UN Photo/ Paulo Filgueiras
