The leaders of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu, arrested before a rally banned by police in the southwestern town of Mbeya, have been released on bail, the party’s spokesman announced on Tuesday August 13.
The return of authoritarianism is causing concern in Tanzania, where opponents have just secured the release of two key opposition figures, Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu.
“The main leaders of Chadema Freeman Mbowe, Tundu Lissu, John Mnyika, John Pambalu have been sent back to Dar es Salaam (the economic capital) by the police and have paid their bail”, announced the party’s communications director John Mrema in a message on X, adding that “according to some reports, some leaders (…) are still being held by the Police in Mbeya.”
On August 12, Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, called for the release of several of its leaders, including Freeman Mbowe and Tundu Lissu.
This wave of arrests has sparked concern among human rights organizations and the country’s opposition, who denounce a return to the authoritarian practices of former president John Magufuli just a few months ahead of local elections in December 2024, followed by presidential and parliamentary elections in 2025.