Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire has accused Tanzanian security forces of subjecting her to sexual assault and other forms of abuse during a recent period of detention.
Atuhaire was arrested earlier this week while in Tanzania alongside prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi. Both were later found abandoned near their respective national borders.
According to Atuhaire, she was detained incommunicado by individuals in plain clothes, blindfolded, beaten, stripped violently, and sexually assaulted.
“The pain was too much,” she told the BBC, showing a scar she said resulted from tight handcuffs.
She added that she screamed so loudly during the assault that her captors were forced to cover her mouth.
The two activists had traveled to Tanzania to support opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday facing treason charges. Despite entering the country legally, Atuhaire and Mwangi were reportedly barred from attending the hearing and were later arrested.
Mwangi later recounted his experience in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying they were tortured, forced to undress, and crawl to bathe in an effort to “wash off the blood” .
He also alleged that they were threatened and denied the ability to communicate with each other during detention.
“Any attempt to speak was met with kicks and insults,” he said.
Atuhaire told the BBC she overheard Mwangi screaming while in custody and claimed he was threatened with forced circumcision. Mwangi said their captors were taking orders from a “state security” official who instructed them to give the detainees a “Tanzanian treatment.”
Their detention sparked widespread concern across East Africa. Mwangi’s disappearance triggered protests in Kenya, and the Kenyan government lodged a formal protest with Tanzanian authorities, accusing them of refusing consular access.
Atuhaire was eventually found at the Uganda-Tanzania border on Thursday night after being held since Monday. Mwangi had been located earlier near the Kenyan border.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Fred Mwesigye, confirmed that Atuhaire had safely returned home and was reunited with her family.
Human rights organizations across the region have condemned the activists’ alleged treatment and are calling for an independent investigation.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs voiced strong concern over the reported abuse.
In a statement, it noted that Agather Atuhaire was recognized as an International Women of Courage Award recipient in 2024 and called for a full investigation into the alleged human rights violations.
“We urge all countries in the region to hold those responsible for torture and other abuses accountable,” the Bureau stated.
As of now, Tanzanian authorities have not issued any official response to the allegations.