A Ugandan activist who was arrested and detained for several days in Tanzania, and later found near the border between the two countries, has told the BBC that she was raped while in custody.
Expanding on earlier statements from her rights group, which reported “indications of torture,” Agather Atuhaire alleged that individuals dressed in plain clothes blindfolded her, beat her, “violently” stripped her, and sexually assaulted her.
Atuhaire had been held incommunicado in Tanzania alongside Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was found on Thursday at the border with Kenya. Tanzanian authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
Regional rights groups have called for an investigation, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed deep concern over reports of mistreatment.
“The pain was too much,” Atuhaire said, showing the BBC a scar on her wrist that she said was caused by handcuffs. She added that she was “screaming so hard” during the ordeal that her captors had to cover her mouth.
Atuhaire described the alleged rape in graphic detail. She also said she heard Mwangi screaming and claimed that those detaining him had threatened to circumcise him.
The two had traveled to Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday on treason charges. Despite being allowed into the country, Atuhaire and Mwangi were not permitted to attend the hearing and were arrested.
On Monday, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned that she would not tolerate activists from neighboring countries “meddling” in Tanzania’s affairs and causing “chaos.”
Atuhaire was found abandoned at the border on Thursday night, having been detained since Monday, according to a post on X by Agora Centre for Research, the Ugandan rights group she leads.
Uganda’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Fred Mwesigye, confirmed that Atuhaire had “safely returned home” and was “warmly received by her family.”
Mwangi, who was earlier discovered on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, said he had heard Atuhaire “groaning in pain” during their detention.
“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults,” Mwangi said. “We were removed from the torture location in different vehicles.” He also claimed that their captors were acting on orders from a “state security” official who directed that they be given a “Tanzanian treatment.”
Mwangi’s disappearance sparked widespread concern in Kenya, prompting protests by his family, civil society organizations, and human rights groups. On Wednesday, the Kenyan government lodged a formal protest, accusing Tanzanian authorities of denying consular access despite repeated requests.
Earlier on Thursday, Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had still not been able to reach Mwangi.
Regional human rights organizations have called for an investigation into the alleged mistreatment by Tanzanian authorities and urged East African governments to uphold regional human rights treaties.
The U.S. State Department noted that Atuhaire had been recognized in 2024 as an International Women of Courage Awardee. “We call for an immediate and full investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses,” the department said in a statement on X. “We urge all countries in the region to hold to account those responsible for violating human rights, including torture.”
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