"Stop using security agencies to brutalize Tanzanians" - Tundu Lissu

By Our Correspondent, NAIROBI Kenya

Tanzanian opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, says the citizens of his country have the biggest task to end impunity and police brutality by electing the right leaders.

CHADEMA Vice Chairman Lissu said electing good leaders was the first step in addressing the persistent problem of human rights violations.

He spoke in Nairobi on Tuesday as Tanzania prepares for municipal elections in November amid kidnappings, torture and arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders and civil society activists.

The police were blamed for the incidents but denied responsibility.

“If the government does not take action, we the people should take action and elect a government that will look after the interests of the people,” Mr Lissu said.

He said citizens must examine the reasons and factors behind kidnappings with a view to reforming Tanzania’s legal system to prevent such occurrences.

“Besides electing another government, we must ask what contributed to these heinous crimes of the government. What kind of environment has contributed to kidnappings and police brutality, because you can elect another government only to realize it’s worse than the last. If citizens have the right to life, crimes of this nature should be thoroughly investigated in accordance with our Constitution, laws and legal frameworks.”

“We should also interrogate the circumstances under which our security apparatus operates with a view to ending it.”

Mr. Lissu condemned the abductions and enforced disappearances of Tanzanians.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan also condemned the killings but asked foreign diplomats to steer clear of the issue as investigations continue.

Mr. Lissu was the victim of attacks by suspected security agents. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt that left him hospitalized abroad for months, first in Kenya and later in Belgium. His attackers were never identified or arrested.

On Tuesday, Mr Lissu said the current abductions and disappearances of citizens were illegal and contravened universal human rights.

The reported cases could tarnish the reformist image of President Suluhu, who has been praised for easing the crackdown since succeeding John Magufuli, who died in office in 2021.

“We are not surprised that the Tanzanian government is yet to take action against the reported cases of kidnappings. People have been disappearing for a long time since 2015 during President Magufuli’s tenure,” Mr Lissu said.

“Government should ensure that its security apparatus is not used to brutalize its own citizens, whether in Tanzania, Kenya, the US or Russia. This is because our domestic laws do not allow kidnapping of citizens.”

Machano is the second senior opposition official to be kidnapped and tortured in the space of two months.

Ali Kibao, a member of Chadema’s secretariat, was abducted from a bus by gunmen early last month while traveling from Dar es Salaam to the coastal city of Tanga.

Chadema organized demonstrations against the killing of Kibao and the abductions and disappearances of individuals and opposition party officials in Dar es Salaam, but the police blocked them.