Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who was abducted by armed groups in Kenya, said she was released hours later.
Amnesty International Kenya spokesperson Roland Ebore told the BBC that she was “forced” into a car in Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Sunday afternoon.
However, Tsehai was released a few hours later. She shared the video with X’s 1.3 million followers, clearly upset and emotional, but said: “I’m saved.”
Tsehai is a harsh critic of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, accusing the Tanzanian government of bringing “tyranny” back to the country.
Faith Odhiambo, president of the Law Society of Kenya, told X news agency that she was able to arrange her release.
“We are issuing a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven for pick-up men,” the prime minister said at an evening press conference.
Officials in Kenya and Tanzania have not commented.
Ms Tsehai is a passionate defender of land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania.
Despite his successor, Samia, lifting a ban on opposition rallies and promising a return to competitive politics, there are concerns that Tanzania is returning to the repressive rule of late President John Magufuli. Ta.
Last year, dozens of protesters were arrested, some brutally murdered. One opposition leader died after being doused with acid.
Human Rights Watch said the increase in arrests of opposition activists was a “bad sign” for the 2025 presidential elections in October.
Change Tanzania, the movement founded by Tsehai, said in a statement on He said he believed he was taken away by the police.
She added that her “courage to stand up for justice made her a target.”
In recent months, she had expressed concerns about her safety and reported incidents in which two unidentified men were seen searching for her in her home while she was away.
Kenya has a history of allowing foreign governments to abduct and forcibly extradite its citizens in violation of international law.
Last year, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was kidnapped by Ugandan security officials in Nairobi and taken across the border to face trial by court martial.
The Ugandan government said Kenya supported the operation, but the Kenyan government denied this.
Mr Ebore told the BBC that Mr Besigye’s situation “could be repeated again”.
Kenya has been hit by a wave of disappearances following last year’s youth-led protests against a series of planned tax increases.
On Sunday, a sitting minister whose son was abducted last June criticized the government for its handling of the issue.
Civil Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi said his son’s abduction, which was later released, remained unsolved, even though he was a senior government official.
At the time, he was serving as Attorney General.
“My son was personally abducted and went missing, which has left us insecure. At the time, I was Kenya’s attorney general and a member of the National Security Council,” he said at a press conference. ”, adding that despite contacting them, they did not receive a response. This was reported to the top security authorities.
State-funded human rights groups say more than 80 people have been abducted in the past six months. The abductions began in the wake of deadly anti-tax protests last June and have continued against government critics.
Several people have been freed in recent weeks, adding to calls for the release of all abductees.
