Tanzanian police have released several leaders of the main opposition party, CHADEMA, along with hundreds of their supporters, following mass arrests linked to a banned youth meeting in the southwest of the country.
The arrests, which took place over Sunday and Monday, have sparked criticism from human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, which accused the authorities of attempting to intimidate the opposition ahead of upcoming local government elections later this year and the national election in 2025.
Since President Samia Suluhu Hassan assumed office in 2021, she has made some moves to loosen restrictions on the media and political opposition. However, rights groups assert that arbitrary detentions continue to occur. The police had prohibited the CHADEMA youth wing from holding a meeting in the city of Mbeya on Monday, citing concerns that it could lead to a “breach of the peace.”
More than 500 CHADEMA supporters were arrested during the crackdown, including the party’s Chairman, Freeman Mbowe, and Vice Chairman, Tundu Lissu. Police Commissioner Awadh Haji defended the actions, stating that the authorities would not allow “a few criminals” to disrupt peace, in what appeared to be a reference to recent youth-led protests in neighboring Kenya, which have inspired similar demonstrations in Nigeria and Uganda.
CHADEMA spokesperson John Mrema confirmed that the party’s top leaders had been released but noted that some youth-wing supporters in Mbeya might still be in custody. The arrests occur amid rising regional tensions, following protests in Kenya against a proposed tax hike, which led to a temporary storming of parliament and fears of similar unrest spreading to other countries.
In response, Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, issued a statement urging Tanzanian authorities to “end arbitrary arrests and detention of political opposition members” and to reverse what she described as an escalating crackdown on civic space.
