The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has expressed concern that ongoing repression in Tanzania is undermining confidence in the country’s upcoming October 29th elections, warning that repression of critics and opposition voices threatens the credibility of the vote.

In a statement posted on X, the committee said, “Crackdowns and repression ahead of Tanzania’s election reduce trust in the fairness of the process, as does the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Tanzania is a key partner of the U.S. in East Africa, and our shared democratic values underpin that relationship.”

The warning follows a recent Human Rights Watch report accusing the government of silencing opposition parties, restricting media and arresting activists in the race to the polls. CHADEMA Chair Tundu Lissu is currently facing treason charges, a case that rights groups and the European Parliament have described as politically motivated to block him from challenging President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Earlier this month, Tanzania strongly denied allegations of human rights violations during a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Ambassador Abdallah S. Possi, the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, dismissed the claims by rights groups and UN experts as “erroneous and misleading.” He insisted that Tanzania remains committed to its human rights obligations and has consistently held free multiparty elections since the return of pluralism.

UN experts had accused Tanzania of a “pattern of repression,” citing more than 200 cases of enforced disappearance since 2019 and urged the government to stop harassment of political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders.

Observers say this highlights a growing gap between Tanzania’s assurances on the international stage and the concerns raised by rights groups and foreign partners.