Tanzania detains a political conference-attending opposition official

Tanzanian authorities detained a high-ranking opposition official while he was on his way to a political conference in Belgium, according to his party on Tuesday, amid rising concerns of an intensifying crackdown ahead of the October election.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who intends to run for reelection, asserts that the government is dedicated to upholding human rights; however, a recent series of high-profile arrests has brought her record under scrutiny.

Amani Golugwa, a senior member of Tanzania’s main opposition CHADEMA party, was taken into custody at Julius Nyerere International Airport in the capital Dar es Salaam on Monday, according to a statement from his party on X.

The Tanzanian police announced his arrest through a post on their Instagram account, stating that Golugwa “has a pattern of departing and re-entering the country without adhering to legal protocols.”

The post stated, “Dar es Salaam police special zone is continuing with the investigation on the matter in collaboration with other security organs.”

A spokesperson for the government has yet to provide a response to the request for comment.

Golugwa was scheduled to represent his party in Brussels at a forum organized by the International Democracy Union, a coalition of centre-right parties that includes CHADEMA, as well as the British Conservatives and U.S. Republicans.

The IDU firmly denounces the illegal arrest and assault of CHADEMA’s (Golugwa),” the organization shared on X. Suppressing dissenting opinions undermines the fundamental principles of democracy. We demand his immediate release.

Last month, Tundu Lissu, the leader of CHADEMA and a prominent figure in Tanzania’s opposition, was arrested by the police.

Lissu, who endured 16 gunshot wounds in a 2017 attack and secured second place in the most recent presidential election, was later charged with treason for what prosecutors described as a speech urging the public to rise up and disrupt the electoral process.

In early April, he organized multiple rallies featuring the slogan “No Reforms, No Election,” during which CHADEMA called for substantial alterations to an electoral process they argue benefits the ruling party.

Following Lissu’s arrest, the election commission disqualified CHADEMA from the polls due to its refusal to sign a code of conduct.