Activists accuse Tanzania of digital blackout to hide poll abuses

Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana (right), human rights defender Bob Njagi and Vocal Africa Human Rights Officer Odhiambo Ojiro express solidarity with Tanzania ahead of anticipated anti-government protests, on December 8, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] 

Kenyan civil society groups have accused the Tanzanian government of launching a digital crackdown aimed at silencing dissent and concealing evidence of alleged human rights abuses following the disputed election.

Speaking in Nairobi on Sunday under the coalition Africans for Africa, Africa Rising, activists from political parties, social justice movements and human rights organisations said technology had become one of the most weaponised tools in Tanzania’s effort to contain public anger.

They claimed authorities were shutting down internet access, controlling social media platforms and pushing global technology companies to delete content documenting violence.

According to the groups, digital censorship is now operating alongside mass arrests, killings, enforced disappearances and intimidation of health workers, religious leaders and journalists.

“Digital spaces have been attacked, internet shutdowns, social media throttling, take down of testimonies and pressure on platforms like Meta and X have sought to silence critics and erase the records of crimes,” said Prof Kivutha Kibwana, a human rights activist and former Makueni governor.

Prof Kibwana warned that platforms were increasingly removing videos and testimonies shared by Tanzanians, making it harder for families, civil society organizations and international bodies to tract violations.

Police officers inspect vehicles at a deserted intersection in Dar Es Salaam on December 9, 2025 during a day of demonstrations against the violent crackdown by security forces on election demonstrations. [AFP]

“The weaponisation of law and digital platforms is designed to break resistance but it has instead strengthened Tanzanians’ demand for justice and awoken the world to the horrors happening before its eyes,” he added.

The coalition said the digital blackout was not a reactionary measure but part of a deliberate strategy to delegitimise protests and control narratives around what they described as a rapidly escalating human rights crisis.

“Such narratives, seeking to delegitimize protests, justify repression and shrink democratic space under the guise of stability. Over 2,000 people now face fabricated charges of terrorism, treason and destruction of property. Lawyers defending the detainees are themselves being arrested,” he added.

He added that families searching for missing loved ones are being threatened or detained that the civil society organisations offering legal or humanitarian support are being criminalised.

Activists cited credible accounts pointing to more than 4,000 deaths, thousands of injuries and widespread disappearances, arguing that without digital documentation many of these cases would never surface.

They also condemned what they described as the government’s attempts to intimidate technology firms into removing content.

“Technology companies must reinstate removed testimonies. Stop algorithmic suppression of crisis content. Preservation of evidence and working with civil society to safeguard documentation,” they demanded.

As part of their call to action, the groups urged regional and global bodies to treat Tanzania’s digital repression as a serious threat to accountability and truth-telling. They called for an independent investigation under the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, saying state-appointed bodies in Tanzania cannot be trusted. Beyond digital repression, activists raised alarm over the reported presence of foreign mercenaries helping Tanzanian security forces crack.