Tanzania will hold its sixth general election on 28 October with President John Pombe Magufuli seeking a second five-year term. The elections come amid a campaign of repression by the incumbent government’s first term targeting individuals and organizations critical of the government. A raft of laws has been enacted and instrumentalized by the authorities to silence journalists, NGOs, human rights defenders and members of the political opposition, among others. In this report, we highlight the worrying human rights situation in the lead up to the polls and call on the Tanzanian authorities to respect and uphold human rights throughout the vote and after.
