Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has been sued at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over post-election violence that happened on October 29, 2025.
According to a statement dated Tuesday 25, November 2025, the World Jurists Association and the Madrid Bar Association argued that Tanzanian security forces have murdered thousands of civilians, enforced disappearances, tortured detainees, committed sexual violence, and displaced Maasai communities.
“This Communication is respectfully submitted before the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to Article 15(2) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” read part of the petition.
“This Communication provides to the OTP substantiated information concerning crimes against humanity perpetrated against the civilian population of the United Republic of Tanzania, with particular focus on the systematic attack that occurred during and following the general elections of 29 October 2025 and ongoing facts.”
Additionally, they have claimed that they have conducted cyber-enabled operations since 2016 and filed an 82-page petition against the government.
Petition Against Suluhu to the ICC
The two organizations led by lawyer Juan Carlos Gutierrez filed a petition to the ICC, presenting detailed accounts of crimes against humanity they claim are linked to the country’s 2025 elections.
“The crimes documented in this Communication constitute violations of Article 7 of the Statute and have been committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against civilian populations across multiple regions of Tanzania. The attack was conducted pursuant to state policy, with the knowledge and direct participation of the highest levels of the Tanzanian government, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her security apparatus.” Read the petition.
Also Read: Presidents and World Leaders Congratulate President Samia Suluhu on Securing a Second Term
As mentioned in the statement, they have highlighted their arguments dated from 2022 to date as a systematic pattern of events against humanity that happened during the October 2025 electoral period and supported it with background information from Tanzania’s post-independence history.
“The temporal scope of this Communication extends from 2022 to the present (November 2025), documenting a systematic pattern of crimes against humanity that intensified dramatically during the October 2025 electoral period. However, the contextual background necessarily reaches further into Tanzania’s post-independence history to demonstrate the legal and institutional framework that has enabled these atrocities.” Read part of the petition.
Demand for Immediate Action
Therefore, through their petition, the World Jurists Association and the Madrid Bar Association have demanded action following the delayed justice for the crimes committed.
“The time for action is NOW.”
“Tanzania’s victims-protesters murdered for demanding electoral integrity, activists disappeared for advocating human rights, journalists tortured for documenting truth, indigenous Maasai dispossessed of ancestral lands, Muslim communities decimated by “counterterrorism”-have waited long enough for justice.”
They have requested the Office of the Prosecutor to open a preliminary examination into the situation in Tanzania and to pursue investigation and prosecution with all available resources and speed arguing that Justice delayed is justice denied.
Also Read: Samia Suluhu Swearing-in: Security Arrangements and Presidents Attending the Ceremony
The ICC has not yet confirmed the admissibility of the petition or whether an investigation will be conducted. However, Legal experts say the court will first assess whether the claims meet the threshold for crimes against humanity under international law.
International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent court that investigates and prosecutes individuals for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates
