Gambiaj.com – (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) – Prominent Ugandan human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has accused Tanzanian security agents of subjecting her to days of brutal torture, sexual assault, and humiliation following her arrest in Dar es Salaam earlier this week.

Atuhaire, a lawyer, journalist, and recipient of the International Women of Courage Award in 2023, was detained alongside Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi on Monday while attending the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. Lissu is facing treason charges—a capital offense in Tanzania—for allegedly inciting disruptions to upcoming elections.

In a harrowing account shared with the press after her release on Friday, Atuhaire described being stripped naked, beaten so severely that she could not walk, sexually assaulted, and smeared with excrement by Tanzanian security officers. Her body bore visible wounds, including crusted abrasions on her arms and legs.

“They handcuffed my hands to my ankles, then one of them struck the soles of my feet with all his might,” she recounted. “Another agent inserted something into my anus. I don’t remember which pain was the worst. They were all terrible at once.”

Atuhaire said the torture was recorded on video by her captors, who threatened to use the footage to silence her. “They were mistaken about me,” she declared defiantly. “It’s not up to me to be ashamed.”

Boniface Mwangi, who was released on Thursday near the Kenyan border, corroborated Atuhaire’s claims, saying, “We were both treated worse than dogs—chained, blindfolded, tortured.” Speaking in Nairobi, he warned: “The situation in Tanzania is very bad. I believe what happened to us happens to Tanzanian activists all the time.”

Atuhaire was eventually dropped near the Ugandan border and left with the warning: “What happened in Tanzania stays in Tanzania.”

The arrests and alleged abuse come amid growing criticism of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration. On the day of the activists’ arrest, President Hassan had called on security forces to prevent “interference” from foreign activists. “We must not allow anyone, from inside or outside Tanzania, to come here and disturb us,” she said.

The United States government expressed grave concern on Saturday, with the State Department calling for “an immediate and thorough investigation into allegations of human rights violations.”

Tundu Lissu’s party has been barred from participating in upcoming elections after refusing to sign a new electoral code of conduct that it claims lacks necessary democratic reforms. Opposition figures and rights organizations have long accused Tanzanian authorities of using intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and state violence to suppress dissent.

Despite the trauma, Atuhaire says she will pursue legal action against the Tanzanian government. “For me, the need for justice goes beyond everything,” she said. “I will not give these criminals the pleasure of seeing me broken.”