Tanzania is reeling from a grave humanitarian crisis, with allegations of widespread and systematic crimes against humanity committed by state security forces. The victims, including protesters, activists, journalists, and indigenous communities such as the Maasais, have been subjected to brutal murder, violence, enforced disappearances, and torture.
According to a petition filed at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Tanzanian security forces have “murdered thousands of civilians, subjected hundreds to enforced disappearance, tortured thousands in detention facilities, committed sexual violence against detainees, forcibly displaced tens of thousands of indigenous Maasais, and employed cyber-enabled repression affecting millions.” The attacks are widespread, affecting at least nine regions, and prolonged, with a sustained pattern of violence dating back to 2016.
The petitioner, Lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez, who acts as the Victim’s legal representative, says President Samia Suluhu Hassan, as Commander-in-Chief, bears ultimate responsibility for the crimes, having explicitly authorized violence against civilians.
Mr Gutierrez noted that the systematic nature of the attacks is evident in the coordinated planning, repetitive patterns of violence, and sophisticated use of legal frameworks to facilitate crimes in Tanzania. He says the crimes documented in the petition constitute violations of Article 7 of the Rome Statute, including murder, extermination, enforced disappearance, torture, rape, and persecution against identifiable groups.
The ICC has jurisdiction, as Tanzania is a State Party to the Rome Statute, and the crimes were committed on Tanzanian territory. The petition urges the ICC to open a preliminary examination and request authorization for a formal investigation.
In his 85-page document submitted to the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Karim Khan, Gutierrez has attached videos and photos as evidence to support his case of mass murder during and after the disputed election held on 29th November 2025.
Mr Gutierrez has also detailed the list of over 200 individuals who were disappeared in Tanzania under the Suluhu regime.
”The impact extends beyond immediate victims: Destruction of Opposition: Systematic elimination of opposition parties’ capacity to function; imprisonment of leaders; killing of organizers; terrorization of Civil Society: Human rights defenders, journalists, and activists face constant threat of disappearance, torture, and killing; severe chilling effect on civic engagement. Ethnic Cleansing: Forced displacement of 80,000-150,000 Maasai amounts to ethnic cleansing; destruction of indigenous culture and livelihoods. Intergenerational Trauma: Children who witnessed violence, lost parents, or were orphaned will carry trauma for decades; communities decimated by Kibiti operations have been permanently damaged. Erosion of Rule of Law: Complete collapse of judicial independence and accountability creates permanent impunity; the message that the state can kill, torture, and disappear with no consequences.” Noted, Mr. Gutierrez.
The situation in Tanzania has sparked international concern, with the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch condemning the violence. “The time for action is now,” the petition emphasizes. “Tanzania’s victims have waited long enough for justice. Every day of delay is another day of impunity, another day in which crimes continue, another day in which evidence is destroyed, another day in which witnesses are intimidated into silence.”
The alleged crimes include post-election violence, with reports of mass killings, enforced disappearances, and torture. The internet shutdown during this period facilitated the crimes, and the systematic misuse of the Cybercrimes Act has enabled digital repression.
The petition highlights the urgent need for action, as evidence is being destroyed, witnesses intimidated, and victims continue to suffer. Gutierrez wants the ICC to act swiftly to ensure accountability and bring hope to the victims of these heinous crimes.
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