- Hundreds of victims filed a detailed petition with the ICC accusing President Samia Suluhu and Tanzanian security forces of assault
- Lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez, representing the victims, explained the move to The Hague to seek justice
- He emphasised the reason for demanding immediate action against the parties involved in their persecution and loss of their kin
Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features in digital and print media.
Several victims of the chaotic protests in Tanzania during the election period have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, seeking the indictment of President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her security apparatus.
Source: Twitter
The petition, filed by the Madrid Bar Association on behalf of the victims, cited grave allegations of crimes against humanity linked to the country’s October 2025 elections.
The victims include protesters, journalists, activists, and indigenous communities.
“This communication is respectfully submitted before the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to Article 15(2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It provides to the OTP substantiated information concerning crimes against humanity perpetrated against the civilian population of the United Republic of Tanzania, with particular focus on the systematic attack that occurred during and following the general elections of 29 October 2025 and ongoing facts,” the petition read in part.
Did Tanzanian government assault citizens?
Lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez, representing the victims, submitted the 82-page document, detailing accounts of mass killings, sexual violence, torture, enforced disappearances, and the displacement of Maasai communities.
The petition also highlighted internet shutdowns and misuse of the Cybercrimes Act as tools of digital repression during the post-election period.
It was alleged that thousands of people were killed, tortured, and forcefully disappeared following the shutdown of the internet.
According to the petition, the crimes constitute violations of Article 7 of the Rome Statute and were carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians in multiple regions and dating back to 2016, allegedly with the knowledge and participation of the highest levels of the Tanzanian government, including Suluhu and the security agents.
What do Tanzanian protest victims demand?
The filing urged the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor to urgently open a preliminary examination, stressing that justice delayed is justice denied.
“The time for action is now. Suluhu and her security forces operate with complete impunity. Tanzania’s victims have waited long enough for justice. Every day of delay is another day of impunity, another day in which crimes continue, another day in which evidence is destroyed, and another day in which witnesses are intimidated into silence,” Gutierrez said.
“The ICC is the last resort. For Tanzanian victims, it’s the only hope. The evidence is overwhelming. The gravity is indisputable. The necessity is urgent,” the petition stressed.
Gutierrez said the president, as commander-in-chief, bears ultimate responsibility for the crimes, having explicitly authorised violence against civilians.
US senator demands probe into Tanzania
Meanwhile, the incident came after US senator Jeanne Shaheen, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an independent investigation into the alleged mass killings in Tanzania.
Source: Twitter
Her demand came after CNN released an explosive documentary pointing to evidence of mass graves, which were described as attempts to conceal serious human rights violations.
Shaheen emphasised that the findings underscored the urgency of an impartial inquiry into the tragic events.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
