Tanzanian opposition leaders released on bail — Chadema

The leaders of Tanzania's main opposition party, Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu, were released on bail late Monday, the Party for Democracy and Progress, commonly known as Chadema, said on social media.

Earlier on Monday, the pair were arrested ahead of a planned protest in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

In a post on the social media platform X, the party said that both men had been granted bail, but said Mbowe had "decided to remain at the police station until all other members and supporters arrested during (the) protest are granted bail."

Freeman Mbowe, the party's chairman, was arrested by police on the street, while former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu was taken from his home.

"A convoy of 11 vehicles picked up Tundu Lissu without stating which police station they were headed to," Chadema said on X.

The arrests happened before a protest in Dar es Salaam against alleged killings and abductions of government critics.

Riot police had been deployed to key points in the city to prevent the protests, claiming they would turn violent. Fourteen people were detained for defying a protest ban, police reported.

"Demonstration is our constitutional right and we are surprised by the magnitude of force being used by the police to threaten people and suppress our freedom," Mbowe said before being arrested, according to a video shared by Chadema on social media.

Why were they protesting?

Chadema called for the protest after party leader Ali Mohamed Kibao was found dead on September 7. He had been abducted the day before.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered security forces to speed up investigations into his murder. However, the opposition party accuses security agents of being behind his death.

Police said they would prohibit the protest and take "legal action" against anyone who joined the demonstration.

"In case some of us will be arrested, hurt or even killed, pray for us and never turn back. We are doing this to make our country a peaceful place to live," Mbowe said in a speech broadcast on X on Sunday.

Tanzanian government has arrested opposition leaders multiple times

Lissu and Mbowe have been detained on several occasions in the past.

The most recent incident was on August 11, when police blocked a Youth Day rally organized by the party.

Hundreds of people, including Lissu and Mbowe, were detained and released two days later.

In September 2017, Lissu survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot multiple times.

He returned to Tanzania last year after the government lifted a ban on opposition rallies that had been in place since 2016.

Who governs Tanzania?

Samia Suluhu Hassan has been president of Tanzania since 2021, having taken office after the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

Hassan has shown a more liberal approach than Magufuli, reversing restrictions on freedom of expression. She has also met several times with Chadema leaders.

However, the opposition accuses the president of returning the country to repressive tactics.

Human rights activists and Western governments, including the United States, have expressed concern over the resurgence of such policies ahead of local elections later this year.

fmf/nm, jsi (AFP, EFE, Reuters)