GENEVA - UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Tuesday urged investigations into the killings and other violations committed in the context of the 29 October elections in Tanzania, as reports emerged that bodies may have been taken by security forces to undisclosed locations.
Information obtained by the UN Human Rights Office from different sources in Tanzania suggests hundreds of protesters and other people were killed and an unknown number injured or detained. The Office has been unable to independently verify the casualty figures owing to the volatile security situation and the Internet shutdown which followed the vote.
"Reports of families desperately searching everywhere for their loved ones, visiting one police station after another and one hospital after another are harrowing. I strongly urge the Tanzanian authorities to provide information about the fate and whereabouts of all those missing, and to hand over the bodies of those killed to their loved ones so that they can be given dignified burials," said Türk.
"There are also disturbing reports that security forces have been seen removing bodies from streets and hospitals and taking them to undisclosed locations in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the Tanzanian authorities to investigate these grave allegations of human rights violations, fully and transparently, and to hold those responsible to account.
He called once again for the unconditional release of all opposition figures arrested before the general election, including opposition Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu, and all other individuals who have been arbitrarily detained since election day. It is reported that more than 150 people have been arrested since the vote, with the legal basis unclear. Many of them, including children, have allegedly been charged with treason.
"It is essential that all those arrested or detained on criminal charges are promptly presented before a judicial officer, and can effectively contest the lawfulness of their detention. All those detained must be afforded the full range of due process rights guaranteed under international human rights law," said Türk.
