Swoop on opposition party leader, officials in Tanzania

DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania’s main opposition party, said yesterday its leader had been arrested with 10 other party figures, in what it called proof that President Samia Suluhu Hassan was persisting with the authoritarianism of her late predecessor John Magufuli.

The Chadema party said leader Freeman Mbowe and the others had been detained before dawn at a hotel in the lakeside city of Mwanza, where they had been planning to hold a meeting to discuss proposals for a new constitution.

The arrests followed the detention of dozens of other party members last week for holding a meeting without permission.

The Mwanza region’s police commander and the regional commissioner both did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment. On Tuesday regional commissioner Robert Gabriel told reporters that gatherings without government permission were banned in line with policies introduced since Hassan took office to curb Covid-19.

“We are condemning this violation of human rights for Tanzanians and this is a sign that the dictatorship that was prevailing during President Magufuli’s administration is still persisting,” Chadema said on its Twitter page.

Chadema’s former presidential candidate, Tundu Lissu, who lives in self-imposed exile in Europe, tweeted that Hassan’s rise following Magufuli’s death in March had brought “hope that Magufuli’s reign of terror and war on democracy” would end.

“The arrest of Chairman Mbowe and Chadema leaders has dashed any such hope. It’s now time for nationwide protests and international isolation of her regime.”

Tanzania has claims its government practices authoritarianism.

Chadema has proposed changing the constitution, which it says is necessary to protect democracy after the rule of Magufuli. Hassan, of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, served as Magufuli’s vice-president before succeeding him when he died in March of what the government called a heart condition but opponents suspect may have been Covid-19. Chadema said it did not know where Mbowe is being held.