Western embassies in Tanzania have issued a rare and forceful joint statement demanding the release of all bodies of those killed in the October 2025 electoral violence, as well as the immediate freeing of political prisoners. The statement, endorsed by 17 diplomatic missions including the UK, France, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, and several EU member countries, comes amid mounting international concern over what they describe as a wave of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and the concealment of bodies by Tanzanian authorities during and after the country’s most turbulent election in recent memory.
According to BBC reporting, the embassies cited “credible reports” pointing to systematic abuses by security forces in the aftermath of the 29 October presidential election. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with nearly 98% of the vote—a result that sparked immediate claims of fraud from opposition parties. Both Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, widely seen as the president’s main rivals, were barred from running, a move that Amnesty International and other rights groups condemned as a “mockery of democracy.”
As protests erupted nationwide, authorities responded with what critics call a heavy-handed crackdown. Reports from the United Nations human rights office, echoed by Western diplomats, indicate that hundreds were killed and more than 2,000 people detained. The government, however, has not released any official casualty figures, and opposition party Chadema alleges that over 1,000 people were killed, accusing officials of secretly disposing of bodies to obscure the true scale of the violence.
In the days following the election, the government imposed an internet blackout and issued stern warnings to anyone caught sharing photos from the protests. The embassies’ joint statement, released on 5 December, urged authorities to “urgently release all the bodies of the dead to their families” and to ensure that detainees have access to legal and medical assistance. They further called for an independent, transparent, and inclusive investigation into the violence, one that involves civil society, faith-based organizations, and political stakeholders.
“We reiterate our call on the government to uphold its international commitments to protecting fundamental freedoms and the constitutional rights of all Tanzanians to access information and express themselves freely,” the statement read, as reported by BBC. The diplomats welcomed the Tanzanian government’s decision to establish a commission of inquiry into the events, but stressed that any probe must be credible and open to scrutiny.
UN human rights office spokesman Seif Magango told journalists in Geneva that the crackdown against government opponents had only intensified since the vote. “Reports indicate that since mid-November, dozens of individuals including academics, civil society actors, and local political leaders have been detained, with several arrests allegedly carried out by unidentified armed personnel,” Magango said. He called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained.”
The United States government, meanwhile, announced on 4 December that it was reconsidering its relationship with Tanzania in light of the government’s response to peaceful demonstrations. The State Department stated that the US “cannot overlook actions that jeopardize the safety of our citizens, or the security and stability of the region.”
In response to the mounting diplomatic pressure, Tanzania’s foreign affairs ministry issued a statement urging foreign governments to withhold judgment until the commission of inquiry completes its work. President Samia herself has been defiant, delivering a fiery speech on 2 December in which she accused Western nations of interfering in Tanzania’s internal affairs. She defended the use of force as “necessary” to quell what she described as an attempt by protesters to “overthrow the government.” Samia further alleged that unnamed foreign actors had colluded with opposition groups to bring about “regime change,” though she offered no evidence to substantiate the claim.
President Samia, who became Tanzania’s first female leader in 2021 after the sudden death of John Magufuli, was initially lauded for relaxing some of the country’s most repressive policies. However, as the 2025 election approached, political space narrowed dramatically. Multiple human rights organizations—including Amnesty International—have documented a spike in arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings in the months leading up to and following the polls. The government has consistently denied these allegations.
On the legal front, the crackdown has been severe. At least 240 people were charged with treason after the protests, though President Samia later urged prosecutors to “show leniency,” resulting in the reported release of many detainees. Still, opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was charged with treason in April, remains behind bars. On 5 December, seventy-six people appeared before prosecutors in Dar es Salaam to face charges of treason and criminal conspiracy, accused of plotting to disrupt the 29 October election “for the purpose of intimidating” state authorities, according to court documents cited by Reuters.
The African Union, which sent a team of observers to monitor the 2025 elections, issued a scathing report this week. The AU concluded that the vote “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.” Observers documented ballot stuffing, instances of voters receiving multiple ballots, and widespread irregularities, ultimately finding that the political climate was “not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes.”
Rights groups and international observers have been nearly unanimous in their assessment: the election was neither free nor fair. They point to systemic intimidation, media restrictions, and voter suppression as evidence of a process fundamentally at odds with democratic norms. Deadly clashes between opposition supporters and security forces broke out in several regions, and the opposition continues to challenge both the results and what they see as a deepening erosion of democracy under President Samia’s leadership.
Despite international condemnation and ongoing calls for reform, President Samia has made clear that her government is prepared to confront fresh demonstrations, with new protests reportedly planned for 9 December. As the commission of inquiry begins its work, the world will be watching to see whether Tanzania can begin to address the grave allegations that have cast a long shadow over its political future.
For now, families of the victims, opposition supporters, and civil society leaders continue to demand answers, transparency, and justice—hoping that the truth about what happened in October 2025 will finally come to light.
