Tanzanian police official Faustine Mafwele sanctioned by US for alleged human rights abuses
Marco Rubio said the designation is based on credible information linking Mafwele to torture and sexual assault of two detained activists.
- On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele based on "credible information that he was involved in gross violations of human rights," barring him from entering the United States.
- Rubio stated members of the Tanzanian Police Force "detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted" Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan activist Agather Atuhaire one year ago while they observed opposition leader Tundu Lissu's trial in Dar es Salaam.
- Amnesty International called for urgent investigation into the torture allegations, while Human Rights Watch cited the case in this year's report on Tanzania, pointing to broader crackdowns on opposition figures and activists; Tanzanian police dismissed the accounts as "opinions" and "hearsay."
- Tanzania's Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Thabit Kombo told the BBC the government has not yet received the formal designation, while Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes said the US was "taking action to promote accountability for this heinous act."
- The designation marks the first foreign sanctions against a senior official under President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration, following her October election victory with 98% of the vote—which opposition described as a "mockery" of democracy—amid growing scrutiny of Tanzania's human rights record.
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On Thursday, 21 May, the United States sanctioned Tanzanian senior police officer Faustine Jackson Mafwele, accused of being involved in serious human rights violations against two East African activists arrested a year ago in Dar es Salaam.
El Vocero de Puerto Rico
Independent EspañolThe United States sanctioned the head of Tanzanian police and banned him from entering the country due to alleged human rights violations committed by police forces.
US slaps sanctions on Tanzanian police chief, bars him from entering America over human rights violations
The United States has sanctioned Tanzania's police chief and barred him from entering the US, citing alleged human rights violations committed by the police force.
Tanzania: US Sanctions Tanzanian Police Officer Citing Torture of Activists
Nairobi -- The United States has designated a senior Tanzanian police official over gross human rights violations linked to the detention, torture, and sexual assault of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist and activist Agather Atuhaire during their visit to Dar es Salaam last year.
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