US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Us sanctions Tanzanian police official over alleged torture and abuse of Kenyan and Ugandan activists.The US has sanctioned a senior Tanzanian police officer over alleged human rights abuses involving Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan lawyer and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire.
In a statement released on May 21, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele had been designated under Section 7031(c) for involvement in what the US described as “gross violations of human rights.”
According to the statement by the US Department of State, the sanctions followed credible reports that members of the Tanzanian Police Force detained, tortured and sexually assaulted the two activists while they were in Dar es Salaam in May 2025.
Mwangi and Atuhaire had travelled to Tanzania on May 19, 2025, to observe the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Tanzanian authorities accused the pair of violating immigration rules and interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
However, rights groups argued that the arrests were politically motivated and aimed at silencing regional observers attending the sensitive opposition case ahead of Tanzania’s general elections.
After their arrest, the two activists were allegedly held incommunicado for several days before later being found abandoned near the borders of their respective countries.
Speaking after her release, Atuhaire alleged that she was blindfolded, beaten, stripped naked and sexually assaulted by men in plain clothes while in detention.
“The pain was too much,” Atuhaire said while showing injuries she claimed were caused by handcuffs.
She further recounted the alleged abuse, saying, “I was screaming so hard that they had to cover my mouth.”
Mwangi also described the alleged torture in a statement posted on X.
“We had been tortured, and we were told to strip naked and to go bathe. We couldn't walk and were told to crawl and go wash off the blood,” he wrote.
The activist further claimed that any attempt to speak to Atuhaire during detention was met with violence.
“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults,” Mwangi said.
He also alleged that officials overseeing the abuse referred to it as giving the activists a “Tanzanian treatment.” The alleged abuse sparked outrage from regional and international human rights organisations, which demanded investigations into the conduct of Tanzanian security officers.
In the statement by the US Department of State, the US government said the sanctions against Mafwele prohibit him from entering the United States.
“This designation prohibits Mafwele from entering the United States,” the statement read. The US further called on countries in the region to hold accountable those responsible for torture and other human rights violations.
The incident also drew diplomatic concern from Kenya after officials said repeated requests for consular access to Mwangi had initially been denied by Tanzanian authorities.
Tanzanian authorities have not publicly responded to the torture and sexual assault allegations made by the two activists.
