President Samia Suluhu won the Oct 29 poll with 98 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission, but the opposition branded the election a “sham,” while continental observers said it did not adhere to democratic principles.

Violent protests broke out across the east African country on election day, and the government responded with a total internet blackout, making it difficult to access verified information.

In a joint statement with six other NGOs on Friday, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) said there was “excessive use of force against unarmed demonstrators, including reprisal killings of civilians, some in their own homes.”

“Families have been left traumatized, and children have witnessed violence against their parents,” it said of the vote.

The statement reported that two local journalists were killed on election day while on duty, one was seriously injured, and two others were arrested.

It said the “extent of human rights abuses is yet to be fully uncovered” in the nation, where authorities have warned against sharing footage that could cause public panic.

The statement also criticised the internet shutdown, saying it restricted reporting on human rights violations and access to “critical information”.

It added that hundreds of people were arrested, and some remained in detention “without the right to bail”.

The statement warned that the “extent of human rights abuses is yet to be fully uncovered”, criticising the internet shutdown and media restrictions.

So many bodies

Amos Ntobi, secretary with the opposition Chadema party, said he estimated hundreds had died in his northern Mwanza region alone.

“We saw people being shot in broad daylight. There were bodies all over the streets — some people were killed instantly, others left badly wounded,” he told AFP.

“There are so many bodies in the hospitals.”

Ntobi said he had attended at least nine funerals, two for children aged nine and 11 — one shot near his home, the other while returning from a shop.

He also said some local party leaders remained unaccounted for.

In the run-up to the election, authorities swept the board of any opposition either by jailing them or barring them from running.

In an initial report African election observers said Tanzanians had been unable to “express their democratic will” thanks to the barring of opposition candidates, censorship and intimidation, as well as signs of rigging on election day.

African Union election observers also said the poll was “compromised”.