The United States has designated a senior Tanzanian police official over alleged involvement in gross violations of human rights, including the detention, torture and sexual assault of Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and Ugandan journalist and rights advocate Agather Atuhaire.
In a press statement issued on May 21, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele had been designated under Section 7031(c), effectively barring him from entering the United States.
Rubio said the decision was based on “credible information” linking Mafwele to gross human rights violations committed by members of the Tanzanian Police Force.
“The Department of State is designating Tanzanian Police Force Senior Assistant Commissioner Faustine Jackson Mafwele under Section 7031(c), based on credible information that he was involved in gross violations of human rights,” Rubio said in the statement.
The designation relates to an incident that occurred one year ago, when Atuhaire and Mwangi were in Dar es Salaam to observe the judicial trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
According to the US State Department, members of the Tanzanian Police Force detained the two activists, tortured them and sexually assaulted them while they were in the country.
“One year ago, members of the Tanzanian Police Force detained, tortured, and sexually assaulted Ugandan Agather Atuhaire and Kenyan Boniface Mwangi, who were in Dar es Salaam to observe the judicial trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu,” the statement said.
The move marks a significant diplomatic rebuke of Tanzania’s security apparatus and places renewed international scrutiny on the country’s handling of opposition politics, civic freedoms and the treatment of foreign observers.
Under Section 7031(c) of the US appropriations law, the Secretary of State is required to publicly or privately designate foreign officials and their immediate family members where there is credible information that such officials have been involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights.
In this case, the US said the public designation means Mafwele is prohibited from entering the United States.
“This designation prohibits Mafwele from entering the United States,” Rubio said.
The State Department said the action was taken under the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026.
The designation is likely to draw attention across East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Uganda, where Mwangi and Atuhaire are widely known for their activism and public interest work.
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