The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango alarmed by the deaths and injuries in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania
“We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania,” he said.
“Credible reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga and Morogoro as the security forces used firearms and teargas to disperse protesters,” he added.
A nationwide curfew is in place, and access to the internet appears to have been widely restricted since the 29 October general election, without any official reasons being given.
“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, and to make every effort to de-escalate tensions. Protesters should demonstrate peacefully,” Magango stated.
“We urge the authorities to fully uphold Tanzania’s obligations under international human rights law. They must promptly reinstate access to the internet and facilitate citizens’ full enjoyment of their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Curtailment of communication will only further undermine public trust in the electoral process,” Magango said.
The violent post-election scenes come in the aftermath of electoral campaigns marred by allegations of arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition figures, including the opposition Chadema party leader and his deputy, and reported enforced disappearances of people expressing dissenting views, including the country’s former ambassador to Cuba.
“All those in arbitrary detention must be immediately and unconditionally released and those held legally must be accorded full due process and fair trial rights. We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, and to ensure those responsible are brought to justice,” Seif Magango said.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani: +41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Liz Throssell: +41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
In Nairobi
Seif Magango : +254 78834 3897 / seif.magango@un.org
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango alarmed by the deaths and injuries in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania
TRT: 01:53
SOURCE: OHCHR / UNOG
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 31 October 2025 – Geneva-Switzerland
SHOTLIST
- Various Exterior shots: Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania.”
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Credible reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed in Dar es Salaam, Shinyanga and Morogoro as the security forces used firearms and teargas to disperse protesters.”
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, and to make every effort to de-escalate tensions. Protesters should demonstrate peacefully.”
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We urge the authorities to fully uphold Tanzania’s obligations under international human rights law. They must promptly reinstate access to the internet and facilitate citizens’ full enjoyment of their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Curtailment of communication will only further undermine public trust in the electoral process.”
- Cut away: briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “All those in arbitrary detention must be immediately and unconditionally released and those held legally must be accorded full due process and fair trial rights. We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, and to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
UN Human Rights Council holds special session on Sudan as mass atrocities reported in El Fasher
The UN Human Rights Council convened an emergency session on Friday on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, following reports of mass killings in the North Darfur capital. States passed a resolution that will mandate an investigation into likely mass atrocities during the capture of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October.
1
1
2
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Sudan: Women’s bodies ‘a crime scene’ as tens of thousands flee El Fasher atrocities – UN Women
In war-torn Sudan, rape is being systematically used as a weapon and simply being a woman is “a strong predictor” of hunger, violence and death, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and created acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Ukraine: Russian attacks on energy terrorize population as winter starts; could trigger major ‘crisis within crisis’
The UN’s top aid official in Ukraine expressed concern on Friday about “continuous attacks” on energy production sites and distribution facilities.