A senior member of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, was arrested on Wednesday outside the Dar es Salaam High Court, where the treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu was taking place. The arrest comes just a week before the October 29 presidential election, intensifying concerns over the political climate in the East African nation.
According to CHADEMA Secretary General John Mnyika, the party’s deputy chairperson, John Heche, was detained by police and taken to the central police station in Dar es Salaam. Authorities have not provided any explanation for the arrest.
Party spokesperson Brenda Rupia confirmed via social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Heche was apprehended as he arrived to attend Lissu’s court hearing. She later reported that he had been transferred to Tarime, in northwestern Tanzania, without any official communication regarding the reasons for his detention.
Growing Political Tensions
The arrest follows escalating tensions between opposition groups and the government ahead of the polls. Tanzania’s two largest opposition parties CHADEMA and ACT-Wazalendo have both been barred from participating in the upcoming presidential election, effectively leaving incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan to face candidates from smaller, less influential parties.
Opposition leaders and human rights organizations have accused the government of harassment, abductions, and arbitrary arrests of political figures. President Hassan, however, has repeatedly asserted her administration’s commitment to human rights and rule of law, and she previously ordered an investigation into reports of abductions though no official findings have been released.
Conflicting Accounts on Heche’s Whereabouts
The Tanzanian Immigration Department claimed on Saturday that Heche had left the country “without following proper procedures,” but CHADEMA has refuted this, stating that he had only traveled to attend the funeral of Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
When contacted for comment regarding the latest arrest, government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa did not respond. Senior police officials Jumanne Muliro and Yustino Mgonja were also unavailable.
The incident has drawn widespread criticism from opposition supporters and civil society groups, who view it as another example of the government’s increasing crackdown on dissent ahead of the national election.
