NEWS- The Tanzanian National Police have arrested Tundu Lissu, the leader of the country’s main opposition party as he finished addressing a public meeting.
Human Rights campaigners have accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of targeting opponents ahead of a national election late this year, but the government denies the accusations.
Tundu Lissu was elected the chairman of CHADEMA party in January after defeating its longtime leader Freeman Mbowe.
Tundu Lissu who is the chairman of leading Tanzania opposition party CHADEMA, has been holding rallies across the country in recent weeks under the slogan “No Reforms, No Election” calling for reforms in the way the election will be run.
“Tundu Lissu has been arrested by the Police in Mbinga district when he had just finished addressing a public meeting. Up to now it is not known which Police station he has been taken to,” CHADEMA leaders said in a short statement.
The Party leaders said that Tundu Lissu was arrested with other party members, after the Police officers are dispersed the members of the generalpublic using teargas at the venue and the party said in a short statement that it was monitoring the situation.
When contacted, a Regional Police commander said he was in a meeting and gave no further comment.
It should be remembered that in November last year Tundu Lissu was detained ahead of local elections, which were overwhelmingly won by the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) but the opposition said that the elections had been manipulated and the results were not credible at all and the party had said it would petition the High Court to demand reforms ahead of a national election this year.
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who ascended from the position of Vice Presidency in 2021, was initially feted for easing restrictions that previous President John Pombe Magufuli had imposed on the opposition and the media in the country.
But Human Rights groups and Western governments have criticized what they see as renewed repression, with the arrests of CHADEMA politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.
