Samia Suluhu Orders Probe into Deadly Election Protests, Signals Leniency for Youth Charged with Treason

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the deadly violence that erupted during the recent election that secured her a second term in office

Hassan, who won with 98 percent of the vote on October 29 in a poll marred by the jailing and disqualification of major opponents, said she was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life during the unrest that followed the announcement of results

Opposition groups and human rights organisations say hundreds were killed by security forces amid a nationwide internet shutdown, accusations the government has not yet addressed with official casualty figures

Speaking during the opening of the new parliament on Friday, President Hassan expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and pledged transparency

“The government has taken the step of forming an inquiry commission to investigate what happened,” she said  marking her first conciliatory tone toward protestors since the chaotic period

She also signaled leniency for hundreds of demonstrators arrested and charged with treason  a capital offence in Tanzania noting that many of them were youths who were “following the crowd” and did not fully understand the severity of their actions

“As the mother of this nation, I direct law enforcement agencies… to look at the level of offences committed. For those who seem to have followed the crowd and did not intend to commit a crime, let them erase their mistakes,” she said

Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of President John Magufuli, was initially praised for loosening restrictions on media and opposition

However, rights groups say the political environment worsened dramatically in 2024, with reports of kidnappings, murders and targeted intimidation of government critics

One of the most prominent cases was the disappearance of former government spokesman and ambassador Humphrey Polepole, who went missing from his blood-stained home on October 6 after resigning and openly criticising the government

The violent crackdown has drawn condemnation from the United Nations, Western governments, and members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who described the elections as “marred by state-sponsored repression, targeted abductions and manipulation”

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Meanwhile, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) reported that its team was raided and harassed by police on Thursday while working at a hotel in Dar es Salaam, claiming laptops and phones were seized during the operation

As Tanzania faces mounting international pressure, President Hassan’s move to establish an inquiry and soften her stance on treason charges may signal an attempt to ease tensions and restore confidence in state institutions  though rights groups say much more is needed to address the deepening crisis