Prominent Tanzanian activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai, who was kidnapped by gunmen in Kenya, said she was released hours after the incident.
Amnesty International Kenya spokesman Roland Eboli told the BBC that she was “forced” into a car in the capital, Nairobi, on Sunday afternoon.
But Ms Tsehai was released hours later. Sharing a video to her 1.3 million followers on X, she looked visibly shaken and emotional, but said: “I was saved.”
Tsehai is one of the most vocal critics of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, and accused her government of returning “tyranny” to the country.
The head of the Law Society of Kenya, Faith Odhiambo, said on Channel X that they had managed to arrange her release.
“We are sending a warning. We will not allow our country to be used as a haven to detain individuals,” she said in an evening press conference.
Neither Kenyan nor Tanzanian officials commented.
Ms Tsehai is a fierce advocate for land rights and freedom of expression in Tanzania.
There have been fears that Tanzania could return to the repressive rule of the late President Magufuli, despite his successor Samia lifting the ban on opposition gatherings and promising to restore competitive politics.
Last year, dozens of opponents were arrested, and some were brutally killed. A senior opposition leader died after being exposed to acid.
Human Rights Watch described the increasing arrests of opposition activists as a “bad sign” ahead of the 2025 presidential elections, which will be held in October.
Change Tanzania, a movement founded by Ms Tsehai, said in a statement on the
She added, “Her courage in defending justice made her a target.”
In recent months, she expressed concerns about her safety, reporting an incident in which two unidentified men were seen searching for her at her home while she was away.
Kenya has a history of enabling foreign governments to kidnap its citizens and carry out forced renditions, in violation of international law.
Last year, Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye was kidnapped in Nairobi by Ugandan security officials and taken across the border to stand trial in a military court.
The Ugandan government said that Kenya helped them in the operation, but the Kenyan government denied this.
“This could be another repetition” of Besigye's stance, Ebole told the BBC.
Domestically, Kenya has seen a wave of disappearances, following youth-led protests last year against a series of planned tax increases.
A state-funded rights group said more than 80 people had been kidnapped in the past six months.
A small number of them have been released in recent weeks, and there are growing calls for all those kidnapped to be released.
