Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi has been released by Tanzanian authorities after being detained while attempting to attend a court hearing in the treason case against Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu in Dar es Salaam. The news was confirmed on Thursday by both the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
Mwangi was received in Kwale County, southeastern Kenya, by KNCHR officials. The activist had traveled to Tanzania to observe Lissu’s court appearance on Monday — a case that has drawn international attention to a widening crackdown on critics of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.
Lissu, who survived a 2017 assassination attempt and was the runner-up in the last presidential election, was charged with treason in April. Prosecutors allege that a recent speech by Lissu incited public rebellion and sought to disrupt the upcoming October elections.
According to a rights group, Mwangi was arrested on accusations of entering the country using false information. KNCHR posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Mwangi was in good spirits despite enduring severe torture, and arrangements were underway to move him to Nairobi for medical care. A photo shared by KNCHR showed him alongside fellow human rights advocate Hussein Khalid.
Khalid reported that Mwangi had been brutally tortured by Tanzanian security personnel and was in poor physical condition: “His body is broken, but his spirit is strong.”
Tanzanian immigration spokesperson Paul Mselle has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the torture claims. Meanwhile, the status of Ugandan lawyer and activist Agather Atuhaire — who was detained alongside Mwangi — remains unclear.
President Hassan, who is seeking a second term in the October elections, has stated her government’s commitment to upholding human rights. However, in a speech on Monday, she cautioned foreign activists against “interfering in our affairs.”
