Schlagwort: Amnesty International

Tanzanian authorities must immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of a former Tanzanian ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole, who may have been forcibly disappeared. They must also ensure his safety and bring those responsible for his abduction and possible assault to justice through fair and transparent legal processes, Amnesty International said today.

Amnesty International is deeply alarmed that Humphrey Polepole might have been forcibly disappeared and possibly assaulted. The Tanzanian government must put every effort into locating him and bringing him back to safety. They must hold his abductors accountable.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

Humphrey Polepole’s family said they were alerted about a break-in on the morning of 6 October 2025 at the Dar es Salaam residence of the former diplomat and outspoken government critic. Upon arrival, they found the door broken, electrical wires cut, and a significant amount of blood at the scene. Videos and images shared by the family appear to corroborate these claims, showing clear signs of a violent struggle.

“Amnesty International is deeply alarmed that Humphrey Polepole might have been forcibly disappeared and possibly assaulted. The Tanzanian government must put every effort into locating him and bringing him back to safety. They must hold his abductors accountable,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa.

The incident comes less than three months after Polepole reported that his sister had been abducted from her home in Bahari Beach, Dar es Salaam, on 17 July 2025. She was beaten and later dumped back at her home the next day, in the night.

This case adds to a growing list of enforced disappearances and attacks on government critics in Tanzania, raising serious concerns about authoritarian practices in the country and increasing political repression ahead of Tanzania’s general elections, scheduled for 29 October 2025.

Far too many people have disappeared in Tanzania, over the recent years without any accountability. Authorities must bring this impunity to an end.

Tigere Chagutah

Polepole, once a senior figure in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, resigned from his diplomatic post earlier in 2025 after publicly criticizing the government for its disregard of justice, the rule of law, and constitutional principles.

“Far too many people have disappeared in Tanzania, over the recent years without any accountability. Authorities must bring this impunity to an end,” Tigere Chagutah said.

Polepole’s family reported the incident to Mbezi Police Station on 6 October, and his lawyer filed a habeas corpus application in court on 7 October 2025. Family members told Amnesty International that during a police investigation into Polepole’s case, officers took several items from his home, including his printer and safe.

Police spokesperson David Misime said Polepole had been summoned to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over allegations made on social media but had failed to comply. Authorities say they are working to verify the authenticity of the abduction claims.

Background

Tanzanian security forces have been repeatedly implicated in a pattern of enforced disappearances in the country. In June 2025, UN human rights experts called on the Tanzanian government to “immediately stop the enforced disappearance of political opponents, human rights defenders and journalists, as a tool of repression in the electoral context.” Victims are often taken by unidentified individuals with the support or acquiescence of state officials, with authorities subsequently refusing to acknowledge their detention or disclose their fate or whereabouts—hallmarks of enforced disappearance under international law.

Among those still missing are Anthony Gabriel, Daniel Chonchorio, Deusdedith Soka, Dioniz Kipanya, Fakih Ali Salim, Frank Mbise, Jacob Mlay, Mdude Nyagali, Shadrack Chaula, Sinda Mseti, and Siza Mwita Keheta. Their continued disappearance underscores the urgent need for accountability and transparency from Tanzanian authorities.

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Responding to reports of an aerial attack by the Myanmar military that is said to have killed upwards of 20 civilians, including children, when multiple bombs were dropped from motorized paragliders, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman said:

“The sickening reports emerging from the ground in central Myanmar following a nighttime attack late on Monday should serve as a gruesome wake-up call that civilians in Myanmar need urgent protection.

“The international community may have forgotten about the conflict in Myanmar, but the Myanmar military is taking advantage of reduced scrutiny to carry out war crimes with impunity.

“It continues to kill civilians on a daily basis, using methods such as motorized paragliders, a disturbing trend that Amnesty International has documented in the same area that this attack occurred.

“This would be the latest in a long line of attacks that stretch back almost five years to the start of the 2021 military coup. As the military attempts to solidify power with a stage-managed election later this year, it is intensifying an already brutal campaign against pockets of resistance.

“As it prepares to convene later this month, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) must increase pressure on the junta and revise an approach that has failed the Myanmar people for almost five years, since the coup deposed the country’s democratically elected government. The UN Security Council should also refer the situation in Myanmar as a whole to the International Criminal Court.”

Background

According to reports and information received by Amnesty International, people from communities in Sagaing Region’s Chaung-U Township gathered in a village on the evening of 6 October as part of a peaceful candlelight vigil to call for the release of arbitrarily detained prisoners, to oppose military conscription and to condemn a junta-organized election set for December. The vigil took place on the Full Moon night of Myanmar’s Thadingyut Festival, in an area where armed resistance groups are active.

According to people present at the scene, the first attack at around 8pm initially killed at least 17 people including at least one child under five years old. Dozens of people are said to be in critical condition in local hospitals. A follow-up attack reportedly occurred at around 11pm but did not cause as much damage. Both were said to be carried out with motorized paragliders, which make a distinctive chainsaw-like sound as they approach, with media reporting that more than 20 people were killed in total.

The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in September that these paramotor attacks typically involve 120mm mortar rounds dropped from the sky, an indiscriminate form of attack. Amnesty International interviewed witnesses to paramotor attacks in the same township in March in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that struck central Myanmar.

It is not known if the military’s use of paramotors is related to the lack of resources such as jet fuel which the military needs for fighter jets. In 2022, Amnesty International released a report, Deadly Cargo, about the supply chain of jet fuel to the Myanmar military, and has tracked its changing tactics to import the resource since then.

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Reacting to the decision of the Trial Chamber X of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to convict Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman also known as “Ali Kushayb” for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between August 2003 and at least April 2004 during brutal attacks in Darfur, Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said:

“This long overdue verdict goes some way in providing justice for the victims of Ali Kushayb and should serve as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for crimes committed in Darfur more than two-decades ago. The conviction should serve as a warning to those committing abuses in the context of the ongoing Sudan conflict that they will one day be held individually accountable.

“To ensure that the ICC can pursue comprehensive justice for all victims, the United Nations Security Council should extend the Court’s mandate from Darfur to the entirety of Sudan.

This long overdue verdict goes some way in providing justice for the victims of Ali Kushayb and should serve as a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for crimes committed in Darfur more than two-decades ago.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

“This verdict should spur ICC member states to urgently enforce all outstanding arrest warrants in the Darfur situation, including against former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir and to enhance their political and financial support for the Court to enable the investigation of ongoing violations in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan.

“Despite US sanctions on the ICC, the Court has shown a clear resolve to continue its pursuit of justice for all victims, including in Darfur. In the face of ongoing US and other states’ attacks on the Court, ICC-member states must demonstrate their commitment and support for victims in Darfur and all situations under investigations through concrete action to defend the court.”

Background

The trial of Ali Muhammed Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, charged by the ICC as a principal leader of the Janjaweed militia, began at the ICC in April 2022.

He was convicted of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, Sudan, between August 2003 and March 2004.

In 2005, the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2009 and 2010, the ICC issued arrest warrants for President al-Bashir for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The ICC has also issued arrest warrants for three other government officials, and three members of armed opposition groups.

Today’s verdict comes amid conflict in Sudan between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in which thousands have been killed and over 10 million people have been displaced.

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