{"id":6124,"date":"2026-05-23T06:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T06:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims"},"modified":"2026-05-24T09:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T09:55:13","slug":"us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","title":{"rendered":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a senior Tanzanian police official following allegations of “torture and sexual assaults” targeting East African human rights activists last year.<\/p>\n

The Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo stated that the government has not yet received official notification of the U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n

This move comes as international criticism of Tanzania’s human rights record intensifies, amid calls from U.S. lawmakers for stricter actions against the Tanzanian government.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the State Department has sanctioned Faustin Jackson Mafweli based on “credible information regarding his involvement in serious human rights violations.”<\/p>\n

The sanctions include a ban on entering the United States.<\/p>\n

Human rights activists Boniface Mwangi from Kenya and Agather Atuhairwe from Uganda traveled to Tanzania to monitor the trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, before being detained and later released.<\/p>\n

Mwangi reported that he was held for several days alongside Atuhairwe, accusing authorities of torturing him in detention.<\/p>\n

He added that he was stripped of his clothes, hung upside down, beaten on his feet, and sexually assaulted during his detention.<\/p>\n

Atuhairwe also stated that she was raped while in custody in Tanzania.<\/p>\n

At that time, the Tanzanian police denied the torture allegations, describing the activists’ accounts as “opinions” and “unverified statements.”<\/p>\n

However, the U.S. Secretary of State stated in a statement that elements of the Tanzanian police “detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted” the activists.<\/p>\n

Although the statement did not directly clarify the role attributed to Mafweli, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Riley Barnes, confirmed that Washington is “taking steps to enhance accountability for this horrific act.”<\/p>\n

Last February, the BBC’s Africa Eye service aired a documentary titled “Tanzania: A State of Fear,” addressing a wave of abductions in the country.<\/p>\n

In the documentary, survivors, including Atuhairwe and Mwangi, accused security official Faustin Mafweli of being the principal perpetrator of the violations.<\/p>\n

Mafweli has not commented on these allegations.<\/p>\n

Mafweli, who serves as the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Tanzania, is the first senior government official in the administration of President Samia Suluhu Hassan to face external sanctions.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International previously called for an urgent investigation into what it described as “arbitrary detention, torture, incommunicado detention, and forced deportation” of the activists.<\/p>\n

Human Rights Watch also referenced the case in its annual report on Tanzania, considering it reflective of a broader crackdown on opposition, activists, and freedom of expression.<\/p>\n

The U.S. sanctions come as Tanzania continues to investigate reports related to political repression and violations accompanying the general elections held last October.<\/p>\n

The official investigation committee announced last month that 518 people were killed during the widespread protests that followed the elections, including 197 who were shot.<\/p>\n

The committee did not identify those responsible for the killings but accused foreign-backed groups of being behind the violence.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the opposition and human rights organizations claim that the number of victims is higher than reported, accusing security forces of shooting unarmed protesters.<\/p>\n

President Samia Suluhu was declared the winner of the elections with 98 percent of the votes, which the opposition described as a “democratic farce,” after excluding her main rivals from the race.<\/p>\n

At that time, the president affirmed that the elections were “fair and transparent,” accusing “foreign entities” of attempting to destabilize the country and overthrow the government.<\/p>\n

Authorities also acknowledged the use of force against some protesters, asserting that certain groups attempted to “change the regime by force.”<\/p>\n

Days ago, U.S. lawmakers called for stricter measures against Tanzania due to what they described as a “democratic backslide” in the country.<\/p>\n

Washington accused the Tanzanian government last December of suppressing religious freedoms and freedom of expression, obstructing U.S. investments, and failing to prevent violence before and after the elections.<\/p>\n

The United States stated that these practices endangered American citizens, tourists, and U.S. interests, threatening decades of security and development cooperation between the two countries.<\/p>\n

President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office in 2021 as the first woman to lead Tanzania, following the death of President John Magufuli.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of her tenure, she received international praise for easing political restrictions, but observers believe that the political space in the country has gradually contracted in recent years.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a senior Tanzanian police official following allegations of “torture and sexual assaults” targeting East African human rights activists last year. The Tanzanian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo stated that the government has not yet received official notification of the U.S. sanctions. This move comes as international criticism of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":6123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-6124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nUS Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"811\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\"},\"wordCount\":731,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\",\"name\":\"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims - Africa Press English\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"-article-header-tag\\\"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":811,\"caption\":\"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Press English\",\"description\":\"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims - Africa Press English","description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims","og_description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","og_site_name":"Africa Press English","article_published_time":"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":811,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims","datePublished":"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims"},"wordCount":731,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg","keywords":["Africa"],"articleSection":["Policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims","name":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims - Africa Press English","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-23T06:39:32+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-24T09:55:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"-article-header-tag\"> Africa-Press. U.S. sanctions have been imposed on a sen ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1779616392.155894.jpg","width":1920,"height":811,"caption":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/us-sanctions-tanzanian-security-official-over-torture-claims#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"US Sanctions Tanzanian Security Official over Torture Claims"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/","name":"Africa Press English","description":"\u0623\u0648\u0644 \u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0625\u0641\u0631\u064a\u0642\u064a \u064a\u0643\u062a\u0628 \u0628\u0644\u063a\u0629 \u0628\u0644\u062f\u0627\u0646\u0647","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6124"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6138,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6124\/revisions\/6138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}