Tanzania Post-Poll Victims Seek Justice as Amnesty Accuses Government of Weaponising Counterterrorism Laws

Meshack Sane, 33, was shot in the leg in Arusha during Tanzania's election unrest. A year later, he says he has run out of money. The father of three has had more than five major operations for the gunshot wound and still needs more surgery, but he told the BBC he can no longer pay for it. "We have reached our limit," he said. He added that in the days after the violence, hospitals initially refused to treat the injured. His relatives have since appealed to local officials and the district commissioner, and were told, by his account, that the government had set aside no budget for victims. The BBC has not independently verified what he says was said in those conversations.

His case surfaces on the eve of the anniversary of the 29 October 2025 vote, which returned President Samia Suluhu Hassan with 98% of the ballot. The opposition called the result a mockery of democracy, since her two main challengers were kept out of the race. One of them, Tundu Lissu, 58, leads the main opposition party, Chadema. He was put on trial for treason before the poll, which blocked him from standing. He had been demanding electoral reforms, and a verdict in his case is due next week. This week he went on a hunger strike, saying he was being denied access to his lawyers. Prison authorities denied that. His lawyer, Dickson Matata, told the BBC on Wednesday that a meeting had now been granted and that Lissu would eat again.

At least 500 people died in the violence. A commission of inquiry gave its report to the president in April, officially recording 518 deaths. Amnesty International says the full report has not been published and that this "entrenches a culture of secrecy." The president has since set up a second commission to identify those behind the violence. Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty's regional director for East and southern Africa, said it must comprehensively examine the role of security forces. He also said that not one official has been criminally investigated, let alone prosecuted, for the excessive force used against protesters.

The BBC verified multiple videos last year showing police firing toward protesters. Footage online showed demonstrators confronted by heavily armed units that blocked their path and fired tear gas. The government has repeatedly denied widespread abuses and says it is committed to human rights. Samia, 66, has said the election was fair and transparent, and has blamed foreigners for the unrest, calling it part of a plot to overthrow her.

Amnesty says the situation has worsened since the crackdown began, and accuses the authorities of increasingly using counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear. Between 3 and 17 September 2026 it interviewed 17 people about continuing repression. Some were targeted after protests were called for 7 July to demand democratic reforms and justice for those killed; the authorities banned those marches. One 26-year-old man who had voiced support said he was arrested in Dar es Salaam on 24 July and held 47 days without charge. He said interrogators blindfolded him, asked who funded the protests and threatened to kill him, and that guards urinated on his face when he asked for water. He said he was later beaten on the legs at Gogoni police station. Amnesty also cites other acts that may amount to torture, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and abductions. The authorities did not respond to requests for comment from the BBC or Amnesty.

For bereaved families, the losses are practical as well as emotional. Mwajuma Hamisi, 32, lost her husband George Kisivani, shot in Arusha on election day and dead two days later. She is left with five children and now sells vegetables at a nearby market. "I am left to fight for the family on my own," she said, and she wants government help. Neema Munuo, 40, lost her 18-year-old daughter Maria Chami, shot in Arusha while out to buy phone credit. She says her grief often keeps her from leaving the house.

Near Mwanza, on Lake Victoria, farmer Juma Nasibu has not seen his 25-year-old nephew, Juma Shabani, since the unrest. The young man was at a cinema that evening, and his uncle later heard unconfirmed reports that he was among people rounded up and shot. The family has searched hospitals, police stations and prisons without result. "What still pains me is that we were never able to recover the body," Nasibu said.

Next week's verdict in Lissu's treason trial is the nearest marker. Beyond that, the question is whether the new commission will look at the security forces.