Tanzania’s Deadly Crackdown Sparks Human Rights Crisis

By Rob Redding

Editor & Publisher

New York, NY. Nov. 21, 2025,7 p.m. - Tanzania's fragile democracy today faces serious questions after evidence gathered by CNN and human rights organizations shows that security forces used lethal force against civilians, resulting in many deaths and raising fears of a larger human rights crisis.

The election held on Oct. 29 saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan declare victory with an overwhelming 98 percent of the vote. The result was widely questioned by opposition leaders and international observers. Hassan's government had barred her main rivals from participating and imposed a state of emergency that included curfews and an internet blackout. Security forces responded to protests with live ammunition in multiple cities, and the death toll remains uncertain.

Videos geolocated and verified by CNN depict scenes of violence and bodies of civilians with gunshot wounds inside hospitals and on the streets. Witnesses describe chaos as armed police fired indiscriminately into crowds that only carried rocks and sticks. One video shows a pregnant woman being shot in the back while running away, collapsing on the street with blood visible on her blouse. Forensic audio analysis indicates the shot was fired from a significant distance, suggesting the use of high-powered rifles by security personnel.

In another incident, a young man was shot in the head at close range during a protest in Arusha. Witnesses report that the violence was unprovoked and excessive. CNN geolocated videos of bodies piled outside hospitals and found evidence of recent digging at the Kondo cemetery north of Dar es Salaam. Human rights advocates and local sources say many of these bodies are of protesters killed during the crackdown and have been secretly buried there.

The Tanzanian government initially denied any fatalities, dismissing reports as false. Last week, President Hassan acknowledged that there had been some casualties but refused to provide specific numbers. Human rights groups estimate that hundreds of civilians have been killed, with many more injured or detained. The opposition leader Tundu Lissu remains in custody since April on charges of treason, further silencing opposition voices.

The crackdown has tarnished Tanzania's reputation as a stable democracy that attracts international attention and tourists. The United Nations Human Rights Office has called for an independent investigation into reports of extrajudicial killings and disappearances. The situation raises serious concerns about the future of political freedoms and human rights in Tanzania.

(Rob Redding is known as America's Independent Voice. His show, Redding News Review Unrestricted, is available exclusively to subscribers on his website, ReddingNewsReview.com).