DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Agather Atuhaire, a prominent Ugandan human rights activist, has reportedly been detained in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, amid escalating tensions surrounding the controversial trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi is also said to be in custody at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam. Their detention follows Tanzanian authorities denying entry to Kenyan opposition figure Martha Karua and two lawyers who had traveled for East Africa Law Society events.
Godwin Toko of Agora Discourse confirmed Atuhaire’s arrest, stating she had traveled to Dodoma as part of an East African Community (EAC) observer mission. Atuhaire, who leads the Agora Centre for Research, was reportedly monitoring developments in Lissu’s ongoing legal battle.
Regional civil society groups and online sources indicate the activists were arrested due to their interest in following proceedings in Lissu’s politically sensitive case.
Earlier, Atuhaire had tweeted from the court, expressing solidarity with Lissu. “Let me sit near someone who can translate for me the decision,” she wrote, referring to a pending ruling on the legality of security officers’ presence in court and the state’s controversial push for a virtual trial.
Lissu, a former Member of Parliament and vice-chair of the opposition CHADEMA party, faces charges of sedition and incitement. The charges stem from his criticism of the government and its handling of the 2020 general elections.
The case has drawn international concern over shrinking civic space and alleged political intimidation. While Tanzanian officials maintain legal procedures are being followed, the visible crackdown on observers and civil society actors has raised alarms.
No formal charges have been announced against Atuhaire or Mwangi. However, human rights defenders in Uganda and across the region have condemned their detention, viewing it as a breach of EAC commitments on free movement and civic participation in governance and justice processes.
