Dar es Salaam. The disappearance of former Tanzanian ambassador to Cuba, Humphrey Polepole, allegedly abducted under mysterious circumstances, has been taken to court.
On Tuesday, 7 October 2025, Mr Polepole’s lawyers, led by Advocate Peter Kibatala, filed a special petition at the Tanzania High Court, Dar es Salaam Registry, seeking urgent orders for his production before the court.
The petition, filed under an emergency motion, names the respondents as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Attorney General (AG), the Head of Zonal Crime Officer (ZCO), and the Dar es Salaam Police Special Zone Commander (ZPC).
Advocate Kibatala told The Citizen sister newspaper Mwananchi that the petition follows reports that on the night of 6 October 2025, Mr Polepole was allegedly abducted by individuals suspected to be security officers who raided his home in Ununio, Kinondoni District. His whereabouts remain unknown.
“The applicant’s constitutional rights have been violated without justification,” Kibatala said, stressing that the matter requires urgent judicial intervention. “His welfare needs immediate attention, including confirmation of his condition,” he said.
The petition requests a court order compelling the respondents to produce Mr Polepole. It also seeks a one-sided hearing before all parties appear, citing the urgency of the situation. If granted, the court would direct the respondents either to release him on bail or produce him before a competent court and charge him lawfully.
Mr Polepole, a former ruling party stalwart and outspoken critic of government policies, has served in senior positions including CCM Secretary for Ideology and Publicity, Nominated MP, District Commissioner, and High Commissioner to Malawi, before his tenure in Cuba ended in July 2025.
His disappearance has raised concern among civil society, human rights defenders and opposition leaders. The court is yet to set a hearing date.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) has called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to personally intervene and ensure Mr Polepole’s safe and immediate release.
In a statement on 7 October 2025, THRDC condemned the abduction and urged the government to use all available means to locate Mr Polepole and others who remain missing. Signed by national coordinator Onesmo Olengurumwa, the statement reiterated the coalition’s long-standing call for a National Oversight Organ to receive complaints against security agencies.
The coalition demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Mr Polepole, urging his abductors to return him alive and in good health. It also called for a swift, independent, and transparent investigation, insisting that those responsible, regardless of rank, be held accountable under the law.
“The protection and security agencies have a constitutional duty to guarantee the safety of all citizens,” the statement said.
THRDC also urged President Hassan to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Convention against Torture, as a demonstration of Tanzania’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law.
The coalition appealed to the international community, diplomatic missions, civil society, and the media to stand in solidarity against what it described as a “worrying escalation” of human rights violations. Describing Mr Polepole’s disappearance as a grave breach of human rights and an attack on freedom of expression, THRDC warned it reflects a shrinking civic space in Tanzania.
Mr Polepole was abducted on 6 October 2025 in Dar es Salaam. His whereabouts remain unknown. THRDC said more than 100 similar cases have gone unresolved between 2024 and 2025.
