Retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and People's Liberation Party Leader Martha Karua have filed a petition against the Tanzanian government, accusing it of unlawfully deporting them and denying them entry.
The case, filed yesterday at the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), accuses Tanzanian authorities of detaining and deporting them.
The two and six others had travelled to Dar es Salaam on May 18 and 19 to observe a treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, a vocal critic of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The eight applicants are demanding compensation, a formal acknowledgment of wrongdoing and the removal of Immigration annotations from their passports. They argue that their deportation not only violated their individual rights but also breached key provisions of the East African Community (EAC) Treaty and its Common Market Protocol. "We had complied with all travel requirements and were traveling under the visa-free movement agreement enjoyed by East African citizens," the group says. "This was not just a violation of individual rights, but an attack on the very fabric of the East African Community, the freedom of movement, the rule of law, and democratic accountability." The petition was filed at the EACJ sub-registry at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi, with legal support from Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo and representatives from the East Africa Law Society and the Pan African Lawyers Union.
Karua accuses the Suluhu government of treating them like criminals. "We were held without cause, treated with hostility, and bundled onto planes like criminals, all for simply showing up to watch a public trial." "This is not just about us.
