Police in Tanzania have released four senior opposition figures detained over their alleged roles in last month’s deadly protests following the country’s disputed general election, the CHADEMA party announced late Monday.
The unrest, which erupted after the October vote, has been described as Tanzania’s worst political crisis in decades. According to CHADEMA and human rights activists, more than 1,000 people were killed during the government’s crackdown on demonstrators — a figure authorities have dismissed as exaggerated, though they have not provided an official death toll.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was declared the winner with nearly 98% of the vote, has faced growing accusations from opposition groups and international observers of suppressing dissent and overseeing human rights violations during and after the election.
Among those freed on bail were John Heche, CHADEMA’s Vice Chairman, who was arrested on October 22 and questioned on terrorism allegations, and Amani Golugwa, the party’s Deputy Secretary-General, who was detained over the weekend. The party confirmed their release in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, CHADEMA leader Tundu Lissu, who was barred from contesting the presidential election, remains in detention on treason charges filed in April — a move that helped spark the mass protests.
Last Friday, prosecutors charged 145 people with treason and more than 170 others with protest-related offences, in what opposition groups say is part of a broader effort to silence political opponents.
Critics accuse President Hassan’s administration of intimidating opposition voices and failing to address reports of abductions of government critics. Although the president ordered an investigation into such incidents last year, no findings have been made public.
Observers from the African Union (AU) have also raised concerns, stating that the October election did not meet international democratic standards.
The latest developments underscore the deepening political tension in Tanzania, where opposition parties and civil society groups continue to demand accountability for alleged abuses during the post-election violence.
