Tanzania opposition arrests raise rights concerns ahead of October election

 Tanzania involving opposition arrests and human-rights concerns ahead of the October election:

Key developments:

• Senior opposition figures detained.
Chadema deputy chair John Heche was arrested by police outside a court in Dar es Salaam, where the ongoing treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu is unfolding. Critics say this fits a wider pattern of pressure on opposition leaders.

• Rights groups voice alarm.
International organizations have warned of a climate of fear, with tactics including arbitrary arrests, intimidation of journalists and activists, and restrictions on civic space.

• Legacy of post-election unrest.
After the October 2025 election — which saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan re-elected with a landslide result that major opposition parties challenged — protests erupted and were met with force. There have been calls for accountability for violence and deaths during the unrest.

• Ongoing crackdown.
Human Rights Watch and others have documented arrests of protest organizers and suppression of dissent ahead of planned demonstrations, underscoring persistent tensions.

Why this matters:
Opposition leadership arrests and legal actions are fueling concerns from human-rights advocates and some international observers that the political environment is becoming less open and competitive ahead of the next general election scheduled for October 29, 2026. This has implications for freedoms of expression, assembly, and fair democratic participation in Tanzania.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has dashed hopes for reform. Instead, under her watch, authorities have continued and intensified repressive practices targeting opposition leaders, civil society, journalists, and dissenting voices, including through assaults, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, with nobody held accountable.

Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa