Tanzania arrests senior opposition figure as hundreds face treason charges

"The arrest comes a day after more than 200 people were charged with treason for alleged involvement in the protests triggered by the disputed election. Lawyer Peter Kibatala told the news agency AFP that more than 250 people were arraigned in three separate cases and they're all charged with two sets of offences. The first set of offences is a conspiracy to commit treason. And the second set of offences is treason itself, he said."

"President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, won the poll with 98 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission, but Chadema has branded the election a sham. It said in a statement on X that the government intended to cripple the Party's leadership and paralyse its operations, adding that police were now targeting lower levels, with some being forced to confess to organising demonstrations."

"Police confirmed the arrest of Golugwa and nine other people in connection with an investigation into the unrest, which saw security forces launch a crackdown on protesters. The police force, in collaboration with other defence and security agencies, is continuing a serious manhunt, the police said in a statement, adding that Chadema's Secretary-General John Mnyika and the party's head of communications, Brenda Rupia, were on its wanted list."

Amani Golugwa, deputy secretary-general of Chadema, was arrested early on Saturday. More than 200 people have been charged with treason over protests after the disputed October 29 election. Lawyer Peter Kibatala said over 250 people were arraigned in three separate cases and face two sets of offences: conspiracy to commit treason and treason itself. President Samia Suluhu Hassan officially won with 98 percent of the vote, a result branded a sham by Chadema. Security forces cracked down on protesters, and police listed senior Chadema figures as wanted while conducting a serious manhunt. Protests erupted in Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza and Mbe.

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