Ugandan journalist and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has been found alive after days of incommunicado detention in Tanzania.
Sources confirm that she was dumped at the Uganda-Tanzania border at Mutukula late Thursday night under distressing physical condition and without any formal deportation notice.
Atuhaire, who had been missing since her arrest in Dar es Salaam earlier this week, is now in the care of friends and relatives who are helping her return to Kampala.
According to close associates, she is suffering from visibly swollen legs, allegedly resulting from torture during her detention.
“She was beaten, particularly on the feet with blunt objects.
Her legs are swollen and she is in pain,” said one source familiar with her condition, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns.
The journalist had traveled to Tanzania to attend a court hearing involving opposition leader Tundu Lissu when she was detained alongside Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi.
Mwangi was deported and left at the Kenya-Tanzania border earlier in the week.
Despite repeated requests from Uganda’s High Commission in Dar es Salaam and growing regional pressure, Tanzanian authorities refused to disclose Atuhaire’s whereabouts for several days, prompting fears for her safety.
The forced removal and reported abuse of Atuhaire have sparked condemnation from civil society groups, journalists’ associations, and diplomatic observers across East Africa.
Many are calling for a full investigation into the circumstances of her detention and treatment in custody.
