A senior official of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, has been arrested while attempting to attend the treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu, amid a crackdown on dissenting voices ahead of next week’s general election.
John Heche, deputy chairperson of Chadema, was detained outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.
The party alleged that the government planned to “arrest senior party leaders and detain them until after the elections,” scheduled for October 29.
This marks Heche’s second detention in a week, following his brief arrest on Saturday for attempting to cross into neighboring Kenya to attend the burial of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The immigration department claimed Heche had tried to illegally cross the border, but Chadema denied the allegations.
The arrest comes as President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of John Magufuli, faces criticism for increasing repression, including a crackdown on political parties and civil society.
Chadema has been banned from participating in the upcoming polls, and its leader Tundu Lissu has been detained since April.
With only minor party candidates left to face President Samia, the opposition is voicing concerns about the fairness of the election.
