The East Africa Law Society (EALS) has announced the relocation of its 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting from Zanzibar, Tanzania to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to the Society, the decision was prompted by Tanzania’s upcoming general elections schedule which coincided with the conference.
In a communiqué signed by EALS President Ramadhan Abubakar, the organization cited the need for “safety, comfort, and inclusive participation” of its more than 800 expected delegates.
Originally planned for Zanzibar, the conference will now be hosted in Ethiopia’s capital, coinciding with EALS’s 30th anniversary and the recent admission of the Ethiopian Federal Advocates Association (EFAA) into its membership.
“While Zanzibar had initially been selected as the host, recent developments, including the upcoming general elections in the United Republic of Tanzania scheduled around the same period, have necessitated a reconsideration,” the communiqué reads.
“Arising from that meeting, we are pleased to announce that the 30th East Africa Law Society Annual Conference and General Meeting will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”
However, the announcement has sparked reactions across social media, especially among civil society actors who view the relocation as an implicit rebuke of what they say is deteriorating human rights climate in Tanzania.
Ugandan journalist and human rights activist Agather Atuhaire, who was recently detained in Tanzania along with Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, has questioned the decision to relocate the conference, citing shrinking civic space in Tanzania.
“Tanzania is no longer safe for Africans. The EALS wants to forestall a repeat of what happened to Boniface Mwangi and I (and Tanzanian nationals on a daily) and has been compelled to change the venue for its Annual Conference and General Meeting,” she posted on X.
“Ironic how after its independence under Nyerere it became a haven for all African freedom fighters and progressive change seekers. The first female president that was seen as the champion of freedom and human rights has unleashed terror no one ever imagined," Atuhaire added.
Atuhaire and Mwangi were last month detained in Tanzania where they had gone to attend a court hearing of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu.
Their arrest sparked regional outcry and renewed scrutiny of Tanzania’s treatment of activists, journalists, and political dissenters under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.
Although EALS has not explicitly linked the venue change to political repression, the move has been interpreted by some as a signal of growing unease within professional and civil society bodies about Tanzania’s civic environment.
Addis Ababa, home to the African Union and numerous international institutions, now becomes the stage for a major event that will reflect on three decades of EALS’s work in promoting the rule of law, regional integration, and legal excellence across East Africa and beyond.
EALS, founded in 1995, boasts over 45,000 members and continues to expand its reach into the Horn and Southern Africa.
This year’s conference is expected to highlight not just legal reforms, but also the role of the legal fraternity in safeguarding civil liberties amid shifting political landscapes.