US sanctions Tanzanian police official over 'torture' of rights activists

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. US sanctions Tanzanian police official over 'torture' of rights activists23 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleWycliffe Muia ,NairobiandAlfred Lasteck , Africa, Dar es SalaamAFP via Getty ImagesActivists Boniface Mwangi (R) and Agather Atuhaire (L) said they were sexually assaulted while in Tanzania detention last year (file photo)The US has sanctioned a senior Tanzanian police official over allegations linked to the "torture and sexual assault" of East African rights activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire last year. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department had designated Faustine Jackson Mafwele based on "credible information that he was involved in gross violations of human rights". Tanzania's Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told the that the government was yet to receive the formal designation, which bars Mafwele from entering the US.

The sanctions come amid growing scrutiny of Tanzania's human rights record, with US lawmakers calling for tougher action. 'Struggling to be alive': Kenyan activist speaks of 'sexual torture' in Tanzania'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivorThe two activists had travelled to Tanzania to observe the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu last May when they were detained and later released, with Kenyan Mwangi saying he was held for several days alongside Uganda's Atuhaire. Mwangi alleged that he was stripped naked, hung upside down, beaten on his feet and sexually assaulted in detention, while Atuhaire also said she was raped during her detention in Tanzania.

The Details

Tanzanian police at the time dismissed the torture allegations, describing the activists' accounts as "opinions" and "hearsay". But Rubio in his statement late on Thursday said members of the Tanzanian Police Force (TPF) had "detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted" the two activists. It did not explicitly state Mafwele's alleged role, but Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes said the US was "taking action to promote accountability for this heinous act".

Mafwele, who serves as Tanzania's senior assistant commissioner of police, is the first senior government official under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration to face foreign sanctions. The has asked the Tanzanian police for comment. Amnesty International had previously called for an urgent investigation into what it described as the arbitrary arrest, torture, incommunicado detention and forcible deportation of the two activists.

Human Rights Watch also cited the case in this year's report on Tanzania, pointing to a broader crackdown on opposition figures, activists and free expression. The sanctions come as Tanzania continues to investigate reports of political repression and abuses surrounding the general election held last October.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.