Rights groups call for sanctions on Ruto, Samia, Museveni over abuse claims

Human rights defenders have called for international sanctions against East African leaders including President William Ruto of Kenya, President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania, and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda over what they termed state-sponsored repression and torture.

Led by former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, the coalition condemned the recent detention and mistreatment of activists Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire in Tanzania, describing it as a direct attack on democratic freedoms.

In a statement on Monday, the group said the incidents reflect a pattern of gross human rights violations across the region.

“We demand immediate international sanctions against Presidents Samia of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Ruto of Kenya, and Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba for continued atrocities against the people of East Africa,” Mutunga said.

He also criticised the silence of regional and global bodies, including the East African Community, Southern African Development Community, African Union, and international allies, calling their lack of response “deafening.”

The group wants Tanzania to explain the arrest, detention, and eventual expulsion of Mwangi and Atuahire. The two were part of a team of activists and lawyers who travelled to Dar es Salaam on May 19 to attend a court session involving opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

They were reportedly seized from their hotels by Tanzanian security officers, held incommunicado for three days, and then forcibly removed from the country. Mwangi was dumped at the Kenyan border and Atuahire at the Ugandan side.

Upon returning to Nairobi, Mwangi posted photos showing injuries to his face and neck, saying he was blindfolded, beaten, and interrogated for his activism.

Atuahire, a Ugandan journalist, said she was assaulted, threatened, and subjected to sexual violence.

The coalition now wants the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to open an inquest into these and other alleged abuses in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

“We demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of all Tanzanian officials involved in these actions. Additionally, an inquest into allegations of illegal detention and torture must be undertaken by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania,” the group said.

They also plan to invoke international human rights systems, including the United Nations special procedures, to pressure Tanzania into ratifying the UN Convention Against Torture.

The coalition urged Museveni to drop the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (Amendment) Bill 2025, saying it could allow civilians to be tried in military courts.

In Kenya, the group demanded justice for young people allegedly abducted or killed since June 2024. They also called for the release of Ruth Njeri, a website developer arrested for creating a digital tool that allowed Kenyans to reject parts of the 2025 Finance Bill.

On Sunday, activists and Njeri’s relatives held a vigil outside Pangani Police Station demanding her release after she was denied bail.

“President Ruto and the Parliament of Kenya, heed the cries of Kenyans and allow public participation on the 2025 Finance Bill. Release Ruth Njeri now, and we condemn the harassment of young people exercising their civic duty,” Mutunga said.

The group further called on Tanzania and Uganda to release opposition leaders Tundu Lissu and Dr Kizza Besigye, along with other political prisoners they say are jailed on fabricated charges. They also want diplomatic observers present in all legal proceedings involving opposition figures to ensure fairness.

“We look to the EAC, the East African Court of Justice, the International Commission of Jurists, foreign embassies in East Africa, and the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights to act decisively. The time for silence is over. We stand with the people of East Africa who are determined to end impunity,” said Mutunga.