Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and gunshot injuries.
A crowd runs in panic along a dusty street. Shots ring out. A woman wearing a purple jacket carrying a stick falls to the ground. Another woman can be heard pleading, Mama, mama, stand, as she tries to lift her. Blood is spreading around her stomach as another stain appears on her back.
This verified footage, filmed in Tanzania's city of Arusha, is just one of many graphic scenes to have emerged showing the violent actions of police as they attempted to crush widespread protests last month during the country's presidential and parliamentary elections.
The protests started in the city of Dar es Salaam on 29 October and spread across the country over the following days. The demonstrations had largely been organised by young people left angry at what they see as a political system dominated by one party since Tanzania gained independence in the 1960s.
Several opposition leaders were arrested and others banned from standing during the elections while a number of opposition activists were detained. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ultimately secured victory after the electoral commission declared she received 98% of the vote.
Since then the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had reports indicating that hundreds of people were killed during the protests, with many more injured or detained. A diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
Footage of the protests was suppressed for almost a week when the government imposed a near-total internet blackout and threatened to jail anyone caught sharing any videos from the protests, saying it could cause unrest.
Only once the block was lifted on 4 November did dozens of videos begin to emerge online showing violent scenes: uniformed officers appearing to fire at crowds, bodies lying on the streets, with others piled up outside a hospital.
To understand what happened, BBC Verify has analysed, geolocated and confirmed footage, building a clearer picture of how police responded to the demonstrations.
The violence was starkly evident in the footage verified by our team as the protests initially took shape in Dar es Salaam, the nation's largest city and economic hub. As protests intensified, police used tear gas and live ammunition, making it difficult to establish a clear sequence of events.
Witness accounts have described scenes of chaos, with police firing at crowds and demonstrators attempting to flee while others were seen injured. The international community, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for accountability and investigations into these violations of human rights as the events continue to unfold.
A crowd runs in panic along a dusty street. Shots ring out. A woman wearing a purple jacket carrying a stick falls to the ground. Another woman can be heard pleading, Mama, mama, stand, as she tries to lift her. Blood is spreading around her stomach as another stain appears on her back.
This verified footage, filmed in Tanzania's city of Arusha, is just one of many graphic scenes to have emerged showing the violent actions of police as they attempted to crush widespread protests last month during the country's presidential and parliamentary elections.
The protests started in the city of Dar es Salaam on 29 October and spread across the country over the following days. The demonstrations had largely been organised by young people left angry at what they see as a political system dominated by one party since Tanzania gained independence in the 1960s.
Several opposition leaders were arrested and others banned from standing during the elections while a number of opposition activists were detained. Incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan ultimately secured victory after the electoral commission declared she received 98% of the vote.
Since then the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had reports indicating that hundreds of people were killed during the protests, with many more injured or detained. A diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.
Footage of the protests was suppressed for almost a week when the government imposed a near-total internet blackout and threatened to jail anyone caught sharing any videos from the protests, saying it could cause unrest.
Only once the block was lifted on 4 November did dozens of videos begin to emerge online showing violent scenes: uniformed officers appearing to fire at crowds, bodies lying on the streets, with others piled up outside a hospital.
To understand what happened, BBC Verify has analysed, geolocated and confirmed footage, building a clearer picture of how police responded to the demonstrations.
The violence was starkly evident in the footage verified by our team as the protests initially took shape in Dar es Salaam, the nation's largest city and economic hub. As protests intensified, police used tear gas and live ammunition, making it difficult to establish a clear sequence of events.
Witness accounts have described scenes of chaos, with police firing at crowds and demonstrators attempting to flee while others were seen injured. The international community, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has called for accountability and investigations into these violations of human rights as the events continue to unfold.
