NAIROBI, Kenya
Tanzania's human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai has been abducted by a group of three armed men in Nairobi today at 9:15 in the afternoon.
In a statement posted in X (formerly Twitter) today, January 12, 2025, by the Organization for the Defense and Protection of Human Rights, Amnesty International (Kenya), the vocal critic of Tanzania government and media practitioner was abducted armed people.
"Ms. Maria, a news editor and human rights defender has been abducted by three armed men who were in a black vehicle (Toyota Noah), in Chaka area, Kilimani, Nairobi around 9:15pm this afternoon," the statement said.
The Rights group has called for her immediate release.
The incident has intensified concerns over the growing trend of abductions in Kenya, drawing parallels to other high-profile cases, including the kidnapping of Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye two months ago and rising disappearances of youths.
Her kidnaping comes just a week after the release of seven young men who had been held captive for weeks.
Ms. Maria who was in exile in Kenya has been vocal in her criticism of the Tanzanian government, previously describing President Samia’s administration as “tyrannical.”
She has also condemned the Tanzanian government’s handling of forced evictions of the Maasai Indigenous community.
Human rights organizations in Kenya, said they have documented over 40 cases of abductions since June 2024, many targeting individuals critical of the government or linked to contentious political issues.
The abduction of Kizza Besigye in November 2024 underscored the regional implications of these incidents.
Besigye, a long-time critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, was kidnapped alongside his aide in Kenya, transported to Uganda, and charged in a military court.
The incident heightened fears of cross-border crackdowns on dissent and raised questions about Kenya’s complicity in such actions.
In October 2024, several citizens from Turkey who allegedly fled their country for political reasons were captured in Nairobi, which caused various organizations including the United Nations to condemn the matter.
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