Tanzanian journalist and human rights defender Maria Sarungi Tsehai made a powerful speech at the 2025 Oslo Freedom Forum, sharing her harrowing experience of abduction earlier this year in Nairobi and raising the alarm on the growing repression in Tanzania.

The Oslo Freedom Forum, hosted annually by the Human Rights Foundation, brings together global voices in the fight for freedom, justice and human dignity.

On January 12th 2025, Maria was abducted in broad daylight outside a Nairobi salon by three masked men in a black van. In her speech, she recalled the terrifying moment. “I never imagined that a weekly hair appointment could turn into the most terrifying experience of my life,” she said, as she began to recount the events of that day.

She fought back with everything she had. “I knew I had to fight and cause a scene,” she said, describing how she physically resisted her abductors while shouting for help. Her determination caught the attention of a City Hoppa driver who tried to block the van and an Uber driver who immediately reported the incident.

That swift response from bystanders and later, the intervention by her husband David Tsehai, Amnesty International Kenya and the Law Society of Kenya, sparked public outcry and forced her abductors to release her after three hours.

While the kidnappers claimed to be Kenyan police, Maria strongly believes they were working on behalf of the Tanzanian government. “This government wants to silence people like me, but I will not be quiet,” she firmly stated.

“Tanzania is a darling of donors, right? Every year we receive millions and it is for our water, education, health. And we keep telling donors, do not give money without putting a condition to human rights and democracy,” Maria emphasized.

She challenged the international community to stop enabling governments that abuse human rights. She also urged tourists visiting Tanzania to understand the deeper political context and to support efforts that directly uplift local communities.

Even after everything she’s faced, Maria hasn’t backed down, her determination is louder than ever. “We want to dismantle the machinery of fear. We want a new social contract, one that will bury the legacy of a one-party state and restore the dignity of the people of Tanzania. Tanzania belongs to its people and not to those who terrorize them!” she declared.

By recounting her abduction, Maria reminded the world that the struggle for democracy in Tanzania and across the region, is far from over. She closed her speech with a firm call to action, “This is not just about Tanzania. Authoritarianism is on the rise all around the world and if we do not unite, they win. Speak out, stand with us. Help us reclaim Tanzania. We are not victims. We are a movement and we shall not be bullied!”

Watch her powerful speech here: