Activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire brought legal action against Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the East African Community leadership at the regional court in Arusha. The pair filed the human rights case on July 18 after experiencing what they describe as state-sponsored abduction and torture during a May visit to observe opposition leader Tundu Lissu's treason trial. Unidentified operatives seized them from their Dar es Salaam hotel and detained them at immigration facilities before moving them to undisclosed locations.
The petitioners allege Tanzanian authorities subjected them to physical and sexual violence before abandoning them at their respective national borders. Seven civil society organizations support their legal challenge, which demands public apologies and one million dollars in compensation for each victim. The case targets the failure of the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to protect their citizens and criticizes the East African Community secretary general's silence during the widely reported incident.
The petitioners allege Tanzanian authorities subjected them to physical and sexual violence before abandoning them at their respective national borders. Seven civil society organizations support their legal challenge, which demands public apologies and one million dollars in compensation for each victim. The case targets the failure of the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to protect their citizens and criticizes the East African Community secretary general's silence during the widely reported incident.
