A Ugandan activist, Agather Atuhaire, has come forward with disturbing allegations of sexual violence and torture while in detention in Tanzania.
Speaking with the BBC, Atuhaire recounted the harrowing ordeal after she and Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi were arrested during a solidarity visit to Tanzania.
Atuhaire, who heads the Uganda-based Agora Centre for Research, claimed she was blindfolded by individuals in plain clothes, violently stripped, beaten, and sexually assaulted.
She said she endured intense pain, with visible scars on her wrists where she had allegedly been tightly handcuffed. “I was screaming so hard they had to cover my mouth,” she said.
She also said she could hear the screams of Mwangi while they were held, adding that their captors had threatened him with forced circumcision. The two had traveled to Tanzania to show support for opposition politician Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court last week on treason charges. Despite being granted entry into the country, they were not allowed to attend the court hearing and were instead taken into custody.
According to Mwangi, the activists were tortured and later ordered to crawl to wash off their own blood. He shared his account on X (formerly Twitter), saying they had been stripped and beaten, unable to walk due to their injuries.
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Atuhaire was found abandoned near the Uganda-Tanzania border on Thursday night after being detained since Monday. Her return was confirmed by Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Fred Mwesigye, who noted that she had been “warmly received by her family.”
Mwangi, similarly, was found earlier along a roadside near the Kenyan border. He described hearing Atuhaire groaning in pain during their time in captivity and said that any attempt to communicate between them was met with brutal responses.
He claimed that the individuals detaining them were taking orders from a Tanzanian state security official, who allegedly directed them to give the activists a so-called “Tanzanian treatment.”
The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society and human rights organizations across East Africa. The US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed deep concern, especially given that Atuhaire was recognized earlier this year as an International Women of Courage Award recipient.
“We call for an immediate and thorough investigation into these serious allegations of human rights violations,” the Bureau stated, urging East African governments to hold those responsible accountable.
Meanwhile, the Tanzanian government has yet to issue a public statement regarding the incident.
