Ugandan Activist Agather Atuhaire Alleges Sexual Assault in Tanzanian Detention
Human rights groups are calling for swift action and an international investigation after Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire came forward with harrowing allegations of torture and sexual assault while in detention in Tanzania.
In a detailed and emotional interview with the BBC, Atuhaire recounted being abducted by plainclothes individuals, blindfolded, beaten, violently stripped, and sexually assaulted while in custody. Her ordeal reportedly began shortly after her arrest and continued over several days before she was abandoned at the Mutukula border between Uganda and Tanzania.
“The pain was too much,” Atuhaire told the BBC, displaying a scar on her wrist from where she had been handcuffed. She described having her mouth forcibly covered when she screamed during the assault.
Her rights organization had previously reported signs of physical torture, but her new testimony — which includes explicit allegations of sexual violence — has shocked many and intensified calls for accountability.
Atuhaire’s allegations come just days after fellow activist Boniface Mwangi, a prominent Kenyan human rights defender, also claimed he was tortured during detention in Tanzania. Mwangi, who has since been deported and is recovering in Kenya, alleged that he too was threatened and mistreated, and at one point warned he would be circumcised as a form of humiliation.
“I can’t walk properly,” Mwangi said in an earlier statement, adding that the people detaining them had threatened them with public shaming if they spoke out. Images of Mwangi circulated online show extensive injuries on his feet and body.
In response to the growing outcry, the United States State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs issued a strong statement condemning the reported abuses and urging immediate action.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment in Tanzania of two East African activists, Atuhaire and Mwangi,” read the statement. “We call for an immediate and full investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses.”
The US also encouraged East African governments to take a firm stance against torture and to ensure accountability for those found culpable.
As outrage spreads across the region, both activists’ testimonies are fueling broader demands for transparency and justice from Tanzanian authorities. So far, the Tanzanian government has not issued an official response to the allegations.
Human rights watchdogs and regional civil society groups are now urging the African Union and the East African Community to step in and uphold human rights standards within member states.
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Ugandan Activist Agather Atuhaire Alleges Sexual Assault in Tanzanian Detention