Tanzania: Authorities weaponize counterterrorism laws to restrict civic space amid pervasive impunity over violent election crackdown

Tanzanian authorities have failed to hold anyone accountable for the violence security forces inflicted on protesters, which left hundreds of people dead and thousands of others injured in the wake of the 2025 general election, Amnesty International said on the first anniversary of the crackdown.

Instead of delivering justice and accountability, authorities have withheld a Commission of Inquiry report from the public and intensified attacks on civic space through the abuse of counterterrorism laws.

Not a single official has been criminally investigated, let alone prosecuted and punished for the excessive force that Tanzanian security forces used against protesters. In fact, the situation has only deteriorated since the crackdown began. In a classic tactic pulled out of the authoritarian playbook, the authorities are increasingly weaponizing counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear,”