Tanzania stripped of East Africa’s biggest legal conference amid human rights concerns: Summary

What we know

• Tanzania has lost the right to host the 30th Annual Conference of the East Africa Law Society (EALS) following concerns about safety and political tensions.
• The high-level legal event was initially set for Zanzibar and was expected to attract thousands of lawyers to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary.
• The decision comes after the deportation of Kenyan activists, including prominent political and legal figures, which sparked backlash across the region.
• Human rights concerns and uncertainty surrounding Tanzania’s upcoming elections were also cited as reasons for the change.
• The East Africa Law Society later confirmed that the conference will now take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to ensure delegates' safety and stability.

 What they said

In a communique from the East Africa Law Society, they indicated that the new directive was necessitated by recent violent events. “While Zanzibar had initially been selected as the host, recent developments, including the upcoming general elections, have necessitated a reconsideration,” parts of the statement were quoted by Kenyans.co.ke. Nairobi’s Senator, who welcomed the decision, said, “Thanks to the leadership of the East Africa Law Society... for this bold decision to strip Tanzania of hosting rights for the EALS conference.”