Tuesday May 4, 2021
Press release:
We comprising of human rights and civil society organizations across Africa take this opportunity to congratulate Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, the sixth President of the United Republic of Tanzania and also welcome her on her two-day state visit to Kenya for bilateral talks aimed at strengthening the diplomatic relations between Kenya and Tanzania.
We acknowledge your stature as a progressive leader to the People of Tanzania, East Africa and Africa at large. As civil society organizations, we have confidence and faith in your leadership and the good example you continue to set.
Your Excellency, we African civil society actors from all walks of life, view the citizens of the United Republic of Tanzania as our brothers and sisters. We affirm that any concern arising from your country is our collective concern. From the interactions, reports and media highlights, we have come to learn and appreciate your recent move to release over 5,000 prisoners from prison, some of who were detained during the recently concluded electoral process in Tanzania. Indeed, you have shown the way for other African leaders to follow.
On the same breadth, from our partners in Tanzania, we have come to learn that, there may still be others including human rights defenders, journalists and political activists, who may still be incarcerated in prisons across Tanzania. It is our belief that they too were arrested in relation to Tanzania’s 2020 general elections. Attached is a list of about 100 who we fear may still be held in prisons.
Through this statement, we appeal to you, first as a mother, secondly as a civil society colleague and thirdly as the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, to consider releasing and or pardoning them. These request is keeping in-line with your government’s commitment to fulfill its obligations under international laws and statutes guarding human rights, rule of law and democracy.
We further appeal to you, to publicly denounce repression of human rights defenders, journalists and political activists. We request you to be the icon of fostering the growth of a human rights society, in Tanzania, East Africa and Africa as a whole.
Signed by the following organizations who trust and believe in your leadership.