Kenyan and international human rights organisations have demanded an end to repression in Tanzania following the October 29 general elections. They called for restored internet access, release of detained opposition figures, and investigations into protester killings. The groups urged regional bodies to reject undemocratic elections.
On October 31, 2025, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) released a joint statement addressing escalating repression under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government after Tanzania's general elections on October 29.
The organisations demanded an immediate halt to indiscriminate police and military force against peaceful demonstrators, alongside guarantees for constitutional rights to assembly and expression. They specifically urged restoration of full internet and communications access, which had been blacked out on election day, to enable independent reporting and information flow. Additionally, they called for the release of detained opposition leaders and civil society activists, and an independent probe into reported killings.
Rights monitors reported up to 30 protesters killed by security forces using firearms and teargas in cities including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Dodoma. Journalists faced intimidation, arrests, and censorship, with a Kenyan journalist, Shoka Juma from Nyota TV, detained at the Lunga Lunga border while monitoring civilian movements.
"The African Union and East African Community have a clear responsibility; they must publicly reject any election which fails to meet basic democratic and human rights standards," said Alice Mogwe, FIDH President.
"Kenya cannot remain silent while our neighbour slides into authoritarianism. The EAC must not normalise election-related violence or tolerate leaders who weaponise state institutions to silence opposition," stated KHRC Executive Director Davis Malombe.
The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed alarm over the violence, noting deaths and injuries from security forces' actions and urging restraint from unnecessary force, including lethal weapons. The groups emphasised the African Union and East African Community's role in refusing to recognise elections failing democratic standards.