Tanzanian Authorities Under Scrutiny For Post Election Crackdown

Tanzanian Authorities Under Scrutiny For Deadly Post-Election Crackdown Tanzania Authorities in Tanzania are facing mounting pressure over allegations of mass killings, secret burials, and disappearances following a violent crackdown on protests that erupted after last week’s general elections, the Associated Press reported. The unrest broke out after the Oct. 29 election saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan secure a landslide victory with nearly 98 percent of the vote. However, opposition parties and international observers decried the results, saying the vote failed to meet democratic standards after key rivals – including Tundu Lissu of the main opposition Chadema party – were barred from running. The controversy sparked protests across the country, with authorities declaring a nationwide curfew and cracking down on protesters. The Chadema party has claimed that security forces have killed more than 1,000 people during the post-election crackdown and accused them of secretly disposing of bodies to conceal the scale of the violence. The party added that its deputy chairman, John Heche, was reportedly detained Tuesday and has since gone missing. It accused security forces of abducting him from a police station in Dodoma. The government has not commented on the allegations, though Hassan acknowledged during her Monday inauguration that there had been “loss of lives and destruction of public property,” the BBC wrote. Residents and witnesses in Dar es Salaam, Mbeya, and Arusha described scenes of severe violence, with authorities firing live ammunition and tear gas during days of clashes. A doctor at Muhimbili Hospital told the BBC that trucks marked “Municipal Burial Services” had collected bodies at night and taken them to undisclosed locations. Families continue to search for missing relatives as reports emerge of victims being buried without identification. Human rights groups have condemned the use of lethal and excessive force and called for accountability. The United Kingdom, Norway, and Canada cited credible reports of large-scale fatalities, while the Catholic Church said deaths were in the “hundreds.” The Tanganyika Law Society said it was preparing a report for international legal bodies, calling the killings “pre-planned” and targeted at politically active regions. Meanwhile, authorities lifted a six-day curfew in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday as the internet was gradually restored following a nationwide shutdown. Still, police warned citizens not to share images of protests and victims, saying such acts could lead to “treason charges.”