Overview

Repression of dissent intensified during the election period, particularly against opposition members and supporters. Security forces used unlawful and lethal force against protesters, killing hundreds and injuring thousands. A commission of inquiry into the killings did not make public any findings. The rights of actual and perceived government critics to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly were severely undermined. Opposition and ruling party members were forcibly disappeared, while opposition leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason. Two foreign activists were tortured and subjected to other ill-treatment. Officials unlawfully demolished property belonging to the Indigenous Maasai People in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The East African Court of Justice’s decision on an appeal brought by regional NGOs challenging the legality of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project remained pending.