DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) stated on Tuesday that it believes hundreds of people were killed in Tanzania during protests that erupted following last month’s disputed elections. The office added that it has received credible reports indicating that security forces may be concealing evidence by hiding bodies.
The unrest surrounding the October 29 presidential vote has plunged the East African country into its most significant political crisis in decades.
Disputed casualty figures
The main opposition party, CHADEMA, along with several human rights activists, has claimed that security forces killed more than 1,000 people during the post-election violence.
The government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was declared the winner after garnering nearly 98% of the vote (following the disqualification of her two leading challengers), has disputed these figures.
A Tanzania government spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Vivid Voice News.
President Hassan’s government has repeatedly characterized the opposition’s death toll as exaggerated but has not provided an official figure for the number of dead.
Previously, the UN had stated on October 31 that initial reports suggested at least 10 people had been killed across three cities.
Allegations of concealing evidence
The UN Human Rights Office noted in its statement that it has been unable to independently verify the total casualty figures due to volatile security conditions and an internet shutdown implemented in the days immediately following the election.
However, the office affirmed: “Information obtained by the UN Human Rights Office from different sources in Tanzania suggests hundreds of protesters and other people were killed and an unknown number injured or detained.”
The statement also quoted UN human rights chief Volker Turk, who expressed grave concern over the unverified reports that security forces had been taking extraordinary measures to hide the scale of the violence:
“Information obtained by the UN Human Rights Office from different sources in Tanzania suggests hundreds of protesters and other people were killed and an unknown number injured or detained.”
The Tanzanian government has previously denied that its security agents used excessive force, arguing they were responding to violence instigated by “criminal elements.”
Legal proceedings against opposition
In the wake of the protests, a significant number of individuals have faced legal action. On Monday, police granted bail to four senior opposition leaders, including the vice chairman of CHADEMA.
Furthermore, more than 300 other people have been charged in connection with the protests, with at least 145 facing treason charges.
CHADEMA’s overall leader, Tundu Lissu, whose exclusion from the presidential ballot was a major trigger for the unrest, was charged with treason in April.
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President Hassan’s opponents have accused her administration of carrying out widespread abductions of critics and suppressing political dissent.
Despite her opponents’ and international observers’ concerns (the African Union recently stated the election was not in line with democratic standards), President Hassan has rejected criticism of her human rights record and defended the fairness of the election.
Last year, she had ordered an investigation into reported abductions, though the findings of that inquiry have not been made public.
