Lawyers and rights activists have petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan over post-election killings by government forces.

The Human Rights Institute, Madrid Bar Association, Intelwatch, and World Jurist Association are demanding accountability for what they chronicled as systematic violations against Tanzanian civilians.

“President Samia Suluhu Hassan bears ultimate responsibility for the crimes, having explicitly authorized violence against civilians,” according to Juan Carlos Gutierrez, the attorney representing the organizations.

The petitioners told the ICC that Tanzanian security forces have murdered thousands of civilians, orchestrated disappearances, committed sexual violence, tortured detainees, and displaced Maasai communities.

They said the request submitted to the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor, substantiates “information concerning crimes against humanity perpetrated against the civilian population” following the general polls.

The petition argues that the attacks were conducted “with the direct participation of the highest levels of the Tanzanian government, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan and her security apparatus.”

The ICC was urged to ensure justice for protesters murdered for demanding electoral integrity, activists who disappeared for advocating human rights, and journalists tortured for documenting the truth, among others.

Meanwhile, the imprisoned opposition leader and Chadema Chairman, Tundu Lissu, has reiterated that the October 29 election fell short of democratic and international standards.

Lissu, speaking from Ukonga Prison in Dar es Salaam, where he is being held on treason charges, cited damning reports from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community

Noting that the election undermined the ability of citizens to exercise their democratic rights freely, he declared: “Samia Suluhu Hassan is not a legitimate President of our country.”

The AU mission concluded that the election did not comply with normative frameworks and international standards, while the political environment failed to provide conditions for a peaceful or credible process.

The SADC decried the heavy restrictions on media and freedom of expression, as well as low voter turnout at many polling stations. The electoral commission declared Hassan as the winner with 98% of the vote.