(3 Minutes Read)
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was taken into custody on Wednesday shortly after speaking at a public event in the Mbinga district, according to confirmation from his party, CHADEMA. His detention, along with the arrest of several other party members, has raised fresh concerns about political suppression ahead of the national elections scheduled for later this year.
Lissu, who serves as CHADEMA’s chairman and is a well-known critic of the government, has been traveling the country promoting the slogan “No Reforms, No Election,” calling for major changes to the electoral system. The party posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account that police deployed teargas to break up the gathering and that Lissu’s location remains unknown following his arrest.
“Police arrested Tundu Lissu in Mbinga district shortly after he addressed a public rally. His whereabouts are currently unknown,” the party said in a statement. A regional police official declined to provide details, telling Reuters that he was in a meeting. In recent months, human rights groups have accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration of cracking down on opposition voices—allegations the government denies.
Read Also;
Lissu, who previously ran for president and has been an outspoken supporter of democratic reform, survived a 2017 assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times. His recent arrest is expected to increase international concern about the integrity of Tanzania’s electoral process and the shrinking space for political opposition in the country.
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Danish
English
French
Hindi
Italian
Norwegian
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish