(MENAFN) UN human rights experts issued a scathing condemnation Thursday of what they characterized as widespread and systematic abuses in Tanzania following the Oct. 29 general elections, citing allegations of hundreds of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and mass arbitrary arrests targeting demonstrators, opposition politicians, and civil society activists.

"The Government must provide information on the fate and whereabouts of all disappeared persons and ensure the identification and dignified return of the remains to their families," the experts said in a statement. "All restrictions on media coverage must be lifted, as they are incompatible with Tanzania's international obligations."

The experts noted the elections unfolded against a backdrop of longstanding concerns, including arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances of opposition figures alongside legislative amendments that undermined the integrity of the electoral system. Opposition leaders faced bans or disqualification from candidacy, with some detained or forcibly disappeared prior to voting day, they stated.

Youth-led protests that erupted following the election were met with what the experts termed the "immediate and lethal use of force" by security personnel.

They referenced accounts that officers received orders to "shoot to kill" during an imposed curfew. At least 700 individuals were allegedly executed, though some projections indicate casualties in the thousands.

The experts underscored alarming testimonies of bodies vanishing from morgues alongside claims that remains were cremated or interred in unmarked mass burial sites. Families who managed to identify deceased relatives were reportedly coerced into signing fraudulent documents to reclaim them.

Over 1,700 detained protesters, opposition members, human rights defenders, and activists reportedly confront grave charges including treason and armed robbery, they said. The experts also voiced alarm over the deployment of nolle prosequi powers, cautioning it could obstruct due process.

A total internet blackout from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3 severely obstructed documentation of violations, they said, and coincided with accounts of transnational repression and surveillance directed at rights organizations in adjacent nations.

The experts pressed Tanzania to launch a prompt, impartial, and effective investigation into all documented abuses, and emphasized that a recently announced commission of inquiry must operate independently and guarantee accountability, justice, and reparations.

With demonstrations scheduled for Dec. 9, they urged authorities to prevent additional violations and safeguard the right to peaceful assembly.

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