The United States has designated a senior Tanzanian police official for alleged involvement in gross human rights violations, imposing a sanction that bars him from entering the country.
The move targets Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele of the Tanzanian Police Force, whom Washington accuses of participating in the torture and sexual assault of two East African activists who had travelled to Dar es Salaam last year to observe the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mafwele was designated under Section 7031(c) “based on credible information that he was involved in gross violations of human rights.”
“This designation prohibits Mafwele from entering the United States,” Rubio said in a statement late Thursday.
The sanction follows allegations that Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist Agather Atuhaire were detained, tortured and sexually assaulted in May last year while monitoring court proceedings involving Lissu, one of Tanzania’s most prominent opposition figures.
According to the US statement, “members of the TPF detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted” the two activists during their visit.
Mwangi later alleged he was stripped naked, hung upside down, beaten on his feet and sexually assaulted, while Atuhaire said she was raped during her detention.
Tanzanian police have dismissed the allegations.
Lissu survived an assassination attempt in 2017, was repeatedly arrested on charges critics described as politically motivated and has long accused Tanzanian authorities of targeting opposition voices.
His court appearances have often attracted international observers, including human rights groups and foreign activists.
JN/APA