Pressure continues to pile on Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu as the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for an independent investigation into the alleged human rights violations in the East African nation during the just-concluded polls.
The committee's statement came in response to a CNN exposé by Kenyan journalist Larry Madowo, which investigated the disturbing details of the Tanzanian government's crackdown on protesters, including the alleged existence of mass graves.
While describing the police's actions as an "unacceptable attempt to cover up gross violation of human rights", the committee was particularly critical of the fact that the Tanzanian government was disputing figures released by foreign media on the casualties.
“This report underscores the disturbing actions by the Tanzanian Government to suppress protestors. Evidence of mass graves shows an unacceptable attempt to cover up gross violations of human rights," the statement read.
"There must be an independent investigation into these tragic acts immediately," the committee added.
Insisting, "The committee’s call reflects growing international concern that the scale of the violence may have been significantly underreported."
Allegations of gross violation of human rights stem from Tanzania's October 29 General Elections, where Suluhu was controversially re-elected with 98 per cent of the vote.
The polls were followed by widespread unrest across the country as citizens protested what they described as a rigged process.
CNN's open-source investigation highlighted the gravity of the situation, claiming that security forces responded with lethal force towards the demonstrators.
From the investigations, eyewitnesses recounted seeing morgues overwhelmed with bodies, some of whom were allegedly denied medical attention.
The CNN report also heavily relied on satellite imagery and drone footage since foreign journalists like Madowo were denied entry into the country to cover the polls. The satellite footage indicated freshly disturbed soil at various sites, including the famous Kondo cemetery, further heightening suspicions of mass graves.
Tanzania's government has since rejected large chunks of CNN's report, describing it as unbalanced while accusing foreign media of resorting to a smear campaign against Suluhu's regime.
According to Tanzania's spokesperson, Gerson Msigwa, international media outlets ran with images and videos which were making rounds on social media without necessarily seeking verification or the Tanzanian government's side of the story.
"These outlets failed to seek out the government to hear the other side of the story. This was a very big mistake. The government calls on CNN to exercise ethics in airing their stories and avoid sharing stories without verified sources," he said.
