The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) has strongly condemned Tanzanian immigration authorities over the detention and deportation of Senior Counsel Martha Karua, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council Member Gloria Kimani, and activist Lynn Ngugi, who were barred from observing the ongoing trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
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| Martha Karua |
The three were reportedly detained on arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Sunday, before being deported back to Nairobi without being allowed to go through immigration processing or offered any official explanation.
“They were arbitrarily arrested immediately upon disembarking the plane, before they could be processed through the Immigration Counters,” said Donald Deya, Chief Executive Officer of PALU. “They were detained for several hours, their luggage was confiscated, and they were eventually placed on a flight back to Nairobi without being addressed by any senior official.”
According to Deya, the three had traveled to Tanzania to peacefully observe the trial of Advocate Tundu Lissu—a case that has drawn both regional and international interest due to what many view as politically motivated charges ahead of Tanzania’s October general elections.
“Advocate Karua SC had previously attended the trial on 24 and 25 May this year without obstruction,” Deya noted. “But even then, we saw excessive and unwarranted violence against political leaders and ordinary citizens who were trying to observe the proceedings or who happened to be nearby.”
Deya emphasized that the deportations were not only unlawful but also a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in regional and continental legal frameworks.
“This is a blatant breach of the right to freedom of movement within the East African Community, as guaranteed by the EAC Treaty and the Common Market Protocol,” he said. “The East African Court of Justice has already ruled on such cases, including that of Advocate Samuel Mohochi, whose unlawful deportation from Uganda was found to have violated his rights.”
He added that PALU was “deeply concerned that these acts, along with other ongoing violations targeting opposition leaders and activists in Tanzania, are eroding the credibility of the justice system and undermining confidence in the upcoming electoral process.”
“The right to observe public trials is part of the right to a fair trial and is protected under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” Deya stated. “States have a duty to facilitate such observation—not to criminalize or block it.”
Calling for immediate action, Deya urged the Tanzanian government to publicly address the incident and issue a formal apology.
“We demand that Tanzanian authorities speak up, apologize for the unlawful detention and deportation, and make reparations—including guaranteeing these individuals their right to re-enter and observe the trial of Tundu Lissu or any other proceeding,” he said.
Deya concluded by affirming PALU’s commitment to follow the case closely.
“PALU will continue to observe developments in this matter and will stand by to protect and defend these Advocates as they seek justice and fair treatment by Tanzanian authorities,” he said.
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