Ugandan journalist and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has been found alive after days of incommunicado detention in Tanzania. She was discovered late Thursday night at the Mutukula border crossing, in a visibly distressed physical condition and without any formal deportation notice.
Atuhaire had been missing since her arrest earlier this week in Dar es Salaam, where she had traveled to attend a court hearing involving Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu. She was reportedly detained alongside prominent Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was deported and left at the Kenya-Tanzania border days earlier.
Sources close to Atuhaire say she is suffering from severe pain and has visibly swollen legs, allegedly as a result of torture during her detention.
“She was beaten, particularly on the feet with blunt objects. Her legs are swollen and she is in pain,” said a source familiar with her condition, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.
Despite repeated requests for information from Uganda’s High Commission in Dar es Salaam and mounting regional pressure, Tanzanian authorities refused to disclose Atuhaire’s whereabouts for several days, raising fears for her safety.
She is now in the care of friends and relatives, who are helping her return to Kampala for medical attention and recovery.
The apparent abuse and forced removal of Atuhaire have drawn sharp condemnation from civil society organizations, journalists’ associations, and diplomatic observers across East Africa. Many are calling for an independent investigation into her detention and the treatment she received while in custody.
