Tanzania frees opposition leaders after deadly protests

Tanzanian police have released several senior opposition figures detained after last month’s deadly protests that erupted following disputed national elections, according to the main opposition party, Chadema.

In a statement shared on social media, Chadema announced that four of its top officials—previously arrested for allegedly organizing the demonstrations—were freed on bail on Monday.

The protests began after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner of the controversial election with nearly 98 percent of the vote, sparking outrage from opposition groups and human rights activists.

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Among those released were Chadema Vice Chairman John Heche, who had been in custody since October 22 on terrorism-related allegations, and Deputy Secretary-General Amani Golugwa, arrested over the weekend. Also freed were Godbless Lema, a member of the party’s central committee, and Boniface Jacob, chairman of Chadema’s coastal region branch.

The Tanzanian government has not issued an official statement regarding their release.

Authorities have, however, charged at least 145 people with treason in connection with the unrest, while more than 170 others face various protest-related charges. Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, remains in detention on treason charges, after being barred from contesting the October 29 presidential election—a move that ignited widespread demonstrations across the country.

Human rights groups and opposition sources claim that over 1,000 people were killed in the government’s violent response to the protests, marking Tanzania’s worst political crisis in decades. The Catholic Church condemned the killings, with Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa’ichi describing them as “a disgrace before God” during a mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Dar-es-Salaam.

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While the government has dismissed the reported death toll as exaggerated, it has yet to provide its own figures. Critics continue to accuse President Hassan’s administration of silencing dissent and perpetuating a climate of fear reminiscent of Tanzania’s single-party era before the introduction of multiparty politics in 1992.

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