A Ugandan activist who was arrested and held for days in Tanzania has been found at the border between the two countries with “indications of torture,” her rights group says.

Agather Atuhaire had been held incommunicado in Tanzania alongside fellow Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, who was on Thursday found at the border with his home country.

“We had been tortured, and we were told to strip naked and to go bathe. We couldn’t walk and were told to crawl and go wash off the blood,” Mwangi said in a post on X.

The two had gone to Tanzania to show solidarity with opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who appeared in court on Monday after being charged with treason.

Despite being allowed into the country, Mwangi and Atuhaire were not permitted to attend the hearing and were arrested.

Tanzania’s government has not commented on the torture claims.

But President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday warned that she would not allow activists from neighbouring countries to “meddle” in her country’s affairs and cause “chaos”.

On Thursday night, Atuhaire was found abandoned at the border by Tanzanian authorities after being held in custody since Monday, Agora Centre for Research, the Uganda-based rights group that she leads, posted on X.

Uganda’s high commissioner to Tanzania Fred Mwesigye said Atuhaire had “safely returned home” and had been “warmly received by her family”.

She had visibly swollen legs, allegedly resulting from torture during her detention, Ugandan local media reported, citing her close friends.

“She was dumped at the border at night by the authorities and there are indications of torture,” fellow activist at Agora Centre for Research Spire Ssentongo told AFP news agency.

Mwangi, who was earlier found abandoned on a roadside in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, said he had heard Atuhaire “groaning in pain” when they were held together on Tuesday.

“Any attempt to speak to each other during the night we were tortured was met with kicks and insults. We were removed from the torture location in different vehicles,” Mwangi added.

He said those who were holding them were getting orders from a “state security” official, who directed the activist to be given a “Tanzanian treatment”.

Atuhaire is yet to talk about her reported ordeal.

Mwangi’s disappearance had sparked widespread concern across Kenya, with his family, civil society and human rights groups staging protests and demanding his release.

On Wednesday, the Kenyan government formally protested against his detention, accusing Tanzanian authorities of denying consular access despite repeated requests.

Earlier on Thursday, Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry issued a statement saying it had not been able to access the activist.

Regional rights groups have called for an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of the activists by the Tanzanian authorities and urged all East African countries to uphold rights treaties.