UN Orders Probe Into Tanzania Election Killings and Body Disappearances
UN orders probe Tanzania election killings: UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has demanded urgent investigations into killings and abuses during Tanzania’s October 29 general elections. He called for accountability after reports of hundreds dead, mass detentions, and bodies being taken to unknown locations.
UN Demands Answers on Missing Bodies
Türk revealed that security forces may have removed bodies from streets and hospitals to undisclosed sites. Families are searching desperately for missing loved ones, visiting police stations and medical facilities with no answers.
“The Office has been unable to verify casualty figures due to the internet shutdown and unstable conditions,” he said. “But the reports we’ve received are deeply disturbing.”
He urged Tanzanian authorities to disclose the fate of the missing and return all bodies to families for burial.
Calls for Release of Detainees
The UN chief demanded the immediate release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu and over 150 others arrested since the polls. Some detainees, including children, face treason charges without clear legal basis.
“All those detained must be brought before a judge promptly and allowed to challenge their detention,” Türk emphasized.
International Pressure Mounts
The call follows regional outcry, including from Kenya, where the family of teacher John Ogutu seeks help from President William Ruto to repatriate his body. Ogutu was killed during election-day violence in Tanzania.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on November 3, amid ongoing concerns about democratic integrity and state repression.
