A party official announced on Tuesday that the leaders of Chadema, the principal opposition party in Tanzania, had been freed on bond following their arrest just before a youth day demonstration.
A police statement released tonight stated that before Monday’s prohibited gathering in the southwest city of Mbeya, which was predicted to bring thousands of young people, up to 520 people had been arrested nationwide.
Opponents of the administration expressed concerns that the police action would herald a return to the harsh policies of the late president John Magufuli, and rights organizations denounced the detentions as “troubling”.
According to party spokesman John Mrema, those released included Chadema chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu, both of whom were formerly contenders for president, as well as John Mnyika and John Pambalu.
That they “have been returned to Dar es Salaam by police and have bailed themselves out” was what he wrote on X.
He would not elaborate, but he did add that “some leaders” are still being held.
The commander of police operations and training, Awadh Haji, stated that “all the top Chadema leaders who were arrested, after interrogation and other procedures, have been returned to where they came from” overnight. In a Tuesday post on X, the party stated that the Mbeya party offices “are surrounded by the police and they are not allowing people to enter the offices.” In a statement, the police had threatened to “take strict legal action against any individual or group involved in disrupting peace”.
Officers would “strengthen security in the city of Mbeya and all other regions of Tanzania to prevent any planned acts of violence,” it was stated, and they would keep a careful eye on the situation.
The 62-year-old Mbowe was taken into custody at the Mbeya airport on Monday, following the detention of numerous other leaders, including Lissu.
The party claimed that hundreds of young supporters were apprehended by police as they entered the city. It was anticipated that 10,000 people will gather in Mbeya on Monday to celebrate International Youth Day.
However, authorities charged the party with organizing violent rallies and brought up the large-scale anti-government demonstrations in neighboring Kenya, which were predominantly attended by youth activists.
“Troubling”
Concerns about a potential return to the harsh policies of the late president John Magufuli were expressed by opposition groups and rights groups. Tanzania is preparing for local polls in December and national elections that are scheduled for late 2019.
Even though Samia Suluhu Hassan, his successor, had promised to return to “competitive politics” and loosen some restrictions on the opposition and the media—including eliminating a six-year prohibition on opposition gatherings—the arrests still occurred.
Human Rights Watch researcher Oryem Nyeko expressed concern on Monday, saying, “It’s troubling because it’s very similar to the mass opposition arrests we saw when Magufuli was president.”