Tanzania has strongly rejected allegations of human rights violations raised at the United Nations Human Rights Council, following a damning statement by the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Network and concerns expressed by UN experts over incidents involving foreign journalists and human rights defenders.
Addressing the fifth meeting of the 60th regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Tanzania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Abdallah S. Possi, dismissed the claims as “erroneous, misleading, and misconstrued.
Mr Possi said that Tanzania remains fully committed to its constitutional and international obligations on human rights.
He affirmed that the country guarantees freedom of expression even when it involves criticism of the government. He pointed out Tanzania’s consistent record of holding free and peaceful multiparty elections since the return to pluralism
‘’Tanzania has never failed to hold elections as required by the Constitution, and if trends are anything to go by, the same should be expected this year,” he told the Council, referring to the upcoming general elections on 29th October 2025.
The remarks came in the wake of a statement by UN human rights experts calling on Tanzania to halt what they described as a “pattern of repression” involving the enforced disappearance, torture, and harassment of political opponents, journalists, and human rights defenders.
Mr. Possi further emphasised Tanzania’s ability to maintain national unity and peace across a diverse population, attributing this to the country’s adherence to the rule of law.
He reiterated that all individuals, regardless of background or political leaning, are treated equally before the law.
In their statement, UN experts claimed that more than 200 cases of enforced disappearance have been documented in Tanzania since 2019, and called on the government to ensure justice, accountability, and support for survivors, especially those who have experienced sexual violence.
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