Tanzanian police have arrested three main opposition leaders in a series of arrests to thwart planned anti-government protests, the latest in a series that analysts and rights groups say is undermining hopes for a new style of governing under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Chadema party leader Freeman Mboe was arrested on Monday while speaking to reporters in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The party’s deputy leader, Tundu Lissu, was taken in 11 vehicles from his home in the city, the party said. Central committee member Godbless Lema was also arrested, police said.
“Demonstration is a constitutional right,” Mboye said before being taken away by police.
The arrests came on the day Chadema planned to hold demonstrations to protest against alleged disappearances and killings of its members and government critics by security forces – demonstrations that were banned by police earlier this month.
Dar es Salaam Special Police District Commander Juman Muliro said 14 people, including Mboe and Lissu, were arrested on Monday for failing to comply with the ban.
Mr Mboye’s daughter was detained after her father, and the Citizen newspaper reported that police had arrested two journalists from parent company Mwananchi Communications, although one was later released.
Riot police were deployed in different parts of the city to stop protests.
Chadema has accused Hassan’s government of targeting its critics. A number of party members have gone missing in recent days. Earlier this month, the party’s national secretary, Ali Mohammed Kibao, was abducted by armed men and found dead after being severely beaten and having acid poured on his face, Mboye said.
Hassan took office following the sudden death in 2021 of former President John Magufuli, who ruled with censorship and repression and used repressive laws to crack down on criticism and opposition.
Her inauguration raised hopes that she would usher in a new era for Tanzania. She reversed some of Magufuli’s policies, such as lifting a ban on opposition rallies and four newspapers. But hopes have faded amid a series of arrests, including those planning to demonstrate against a ports agreement last year and the detention of about 400 supporters of Mboe, Lissu and Chadema last month.
Analysts and rights groups say she is using the same authoritarian tactics as President Magufuli, exacerbating the situation ahead of elections expected next year.
Oryem Nyeko, Tanzania researcher at Human Rights Watch, said there had been “positive signs” early in Hassan’s presidency but “it’s beginning to look like business as usual.”
“The arrests of Mboye and Lissu send a worrying message about how tolerant the president is of the opposition,” he said. “The opposition is raising legitimate concerns about important issues and the president should listen to them and address them, rather than crack down on them.”
Tanzanian human rights lawyer Tito Magoti said Hassan had “taken a more radical stance” against the opposition and civil liberties because she felt pressured by more people wanting to take part in the government and growing calls for human rights to be respected.
