Activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire in Nairobi on June 3, 2025. /BONIFACE MWANGIActivist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire have filed a case before the East African Court of Justice over claims of abduction, torture, and unlawful deportation by the Tanzanian government.
The suit, lodged on July 18 in Arusha, Tanzania, seeks to hold not only Tanzania but also the governments of Kenya and Uganda, alongside the East African Community (EAC) secretary general, Veronica Nduva, accountable for what the applicants term gross violations of human rights.
The legal action stems from disturbing events that occurred between May 19 and May 23, when Mwangi and Atuhaire were forcibly abducted from their hotel in Dar es Salaam by unidentified operatives.
According to the petition, they were initially detained at the Immigration Department and the Central police station before being whisked to unknown locations.
The pair allege they were subjected to brutal torture, including sexual violence, before being dumped at their respective country borders without explanation.
"These violations cannot be ignored. We are demanding accountability and justice at the highest regional level," the applicants said.
Mwangi and Atuhaire maintain they had entered Tanzania lawfully to observe the high-profile treason trial of opposition figure Tundu Lissu, yet were never informed of any legal grounds for their arrest, detention, or subsequent deportation.
In their filings, they state that Tanzanian authorities orchestrated their disappearance and torture, and further argue that Kenyan and Ugandan officials failed in their legal duty to protect their nationals.
“Despite massive media coverage, both the Kenyan and Ugandan governments failed to intervene through diplomatic or consular channels to secure our release,” they argue.
The applicants also allege that the EAC Secretary General remained silent despite well-publicised human rights abuses.
“This case is not just about two individuals. It is about defending the soul of East Africa — the principles of human dignity, regional integration, and the rule of law,” said Donald Deya, CEO of the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), one of the organisations backing the case.
PALU is a continental membership forum for African lawyers and lawyers’ associations.
Alongside Mwangi and Atuhaire, seven prominent civil society organisations and legal groups have joined the suit.
They include Agora Centre for Research, the Centre for Strategic Litigation, East Africa Law Society, Innovations for Democratic Engagement and Action, Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists.
Mwangi described the ordeal as “evil” and claimed that Tanzanian authorities used abduction and torture as tools of repression.
“When a state goes rogue, the law must step in to protect its victims,” he said.
“We are going to court not only to fight for justice but to show the whole world what happened to us in the dark. We hope this case will give more victims of the state the courage to speak up and seek justice.”
Atuhaire echoed these sentiments, highlighting the broader implications of the case for civic freedoms in the region.
The petitioners contend that the actions of the Tanzanian state, coupled with the silence of Kenya, Uganda, and the EAC leadership, violate the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
They also argue it undermines the ethos of East Africanness and Pan-Africanism.
The applicants are demanding public apologies from the three governments, compensation of at least $1 million (Sh129m) each, rehabilitation support, and institutional reforms to prevent such abuses in future.
They also want the EAC Summit to convene and address the escalating threats to human rights in the region.
David Sigano, CEO of the East Africa Law Society, stressed the regional importance of the suit.
“This matter strikes at the heart of what it means to be East African. No citizen should be tortured, disappeared, or deported simply for observing a court trial. The East African Court of Justice must rise to the occasion,” he said.
As the case heads to court, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the EAC Secretariat are yet to respond publicly.
The proceedings are expected to test the EAC’s commitment to justice, regional integration, and the protection of fundamental rights.
