Amani Golugwa was about to travel to a political conference in Brussels when he was detained. The arrest is the latest incident involving members of Chadema, accusing the government of using oppressive tactics.
Tanzania detained the country’s main opposition senior members while flying to Belgium for the Democratic Conference, the Chadema Party said Tuesday.
Chadema’s Deputy Executive Director Amani Golugwa was detained late Monday evening at Julius Nyerere International Airport.
Golugwa was subsequently released on bail, his party said in X.
Goryugwa was scheduled to travel to Brussels to represent Chadema at the International Union of Democrats (IDU), a gathering of central right parties.
Police confirmed their arrests in a statement posted on Instagram, claiming Golugwa “a tends to leave and return home without following legal procedures.”
“Dar Es Salaam Police Special Zone is working with other security organs to continue investigating the issue,” the post added.
What’s the situation in Tanzania?
The arrest is the latest to target opposition parties in East African countries, who are preparing for the October election.
Human rights groups and critics accused Samia Slu Hassan of Tanzania’s government (the country’s first female president to be called for re-election) of suppressing opposition.
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In April, Chadema Chairman Tundu Lissu was arrested and charged with treason, but the party was banned from participating in the election.
Authorities accused the squirrel of promoting anxiety and disrupting the election during his speech. He and the party called for massive election reforms in the process favoring the ruling party, Chama Cha Masiduji (CCM).
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the squirrel was arrested on “manufactured charges.” HRW also accused Tanzanian authorities of calling for election reforms “to disqualify them from participating” in the October election.
Last month, HRW said there were several measures to improve the country’s human rights records, but Tanzanian police said under Hassan’s guidance that “continued to abuse the government’s immunity and target critics.”
Hassan claims her government is committed to defending human rights.
What was your reaction to Golguwa’s arrest?
In a post on X, IDU said that Golugwa’s “strongly condemns the illegal arrest and assault.”
“Silence of the opposition voices violates the heart of democracy. We call for his immediate release and urge global pressure on Tanzania to support human rights,” the IDU said.
This article was updated on May 14th after Golugwa was released from prison.
Edited by Louis Oelofse
