Ugandan Activist Agather Atuhaire Battered And Raped By Security Forces In Tanzania
- Africauptodate
- May 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Prominent Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire (37) has narrated that she was severely battered and raped by security forces in Tanzania, when she was in incarceration there some days ago. That was reported by some media on May 25, 2025.
According to the reports, the globally renowned attorney, journalist, and activist made the damning narration in Kampala, Uganda, on May 23, 2025. Earlier on the same day she had been dumped near the Tanzania/Uganda border by Tanzanian security forces.
Agather Atuhaire is said to have been arrested and incarcerated in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on May 19, 2025. She had travelled to the coastal city to attend Tanzania's main opposition Tundu Lissu's first court appearance on that day, in a highly controversial trial in which he is charged of treason for his political party's relentless demand for electoral reforms hitherto the country's forthcoming general elections.
More specifically, Agather Atuhaire's powerful and compelling narration was as thus.
She began the narration by saying that on the day of the horrific ordeal, she and another East African activist who was arrested and incarcerated alongside her, namely Boniface Boniface Mwangi from Kenya, were blindfolded, handcuffed, and bundled into an automobile by Tanzanian security forces, and whisked to unknown place. There, Boniface Mwangi was taken out of the automobile, while she was left inside.
She continued that inside the automobile, she was severely battered, stripped naked, and raped by the security forces. She added that as she was been subjected to the torture and sexual assault inside the vehicle, she could hear Boniface Mwangi crying in agony as some security forces also battered him mercilessly out there.
Furthermore and more generally perhaps, she observed that the situation in Tanzania, probably implying the existing political situation, was appalling, and that human rights abuses against local activists, similar to those unleashed on her and Boniface Mwangi, are common place in the country.
She concluded by classifying governments that engage in human rights abuses like those she was subjected to in Tanzania, as murderers and criminal organizations.
Reportedly, following Agather Atuhaire's narration, the USA government, and some global human rights organizations, have called for prompt and thorough investigation into the alleged human rights abuses against some East African activists in Tanzania. Previously, the government of Tanzania response to similar calls has been either simply denying that it violates human rights; or fallaciously justifying violation of the rights by claiming it was safeguarding national sovereignty, rule of law, and peace, as well as using development milestones as weapon that it thinks would silence those making the calls.
The deliberate fallacious response by the government of Tanzania to alleged human rights violations has been correctly described by some African political analysts. According to the analysts, the government of Tanzania in its response gives an impression of prevailing peace, stability, and development in the country, albeit in reality the country is in a mess, marred by repression, tensions, and poverty. The analysts indicate that support to the ruling party CCM is mainly either out of fear of repression by the government, or opportunistic as some people seek favors from the government in terms of let say employment in the public sector.
The foregoing notwithstanding, Agather Atuhaire is highly respected fearless world class human rights activist. In recognition of her invaluable contribution to protection of human rights, she has received the following accolades, among others.
1) USA's International Women of Courage Award (2024)
2) EU's Human Rights Defender Award (2023)
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