Tanzania Opposition Officials Arrested Ahead of Election as Crackdown Intensifies

A senior official from Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, has been arrested amid what rights groups and opposition figures describe as an escalating crackdown on dissent just days before the country’s general election scheduled for 29 October.

John Heche, Chadema’s deputy chairperson, was detained on Wednesday as he attempted to attend the treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu at the High Court in Dar es Salaam.

In a statement, Chadema accused the government of executing a coordinated plan to “arrest senior party leaders and detain them until after the elections.” The party alleged that Heche was forcibly taken away from the court premises and was being transported to Tarime, a northern town more than 1,300 km (820 miles) away from the capital.

The government has not responded to these allegations, and the police have declined to comment on the arrest. This marks Heche’s second detention in a week — he was previously held on Saturday while trying to cross into neighboring Kenya, reportedly to attend the funeral of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

At the time, Tanzania’s immigration department claimed Heche had attempted to cross the border illegally, but Chadema dismissed the accusation as a politically motivated fabrication.

Heche’s latest arrest adds to mounting tensions following the disappearance of former Tanzanian ambassador Humphrey Polepole, a known government critic. According to his family, Polepole was abducted from his home in Dar es Salaam on 6 October, with his brother reporting signs of a violent struggle and blood found at the scene. His whereabouts remain unknown.

The growing list of detentions and disappearances has cast a dark shadow over what is expected to be a highly contested election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling CCM party seeks a second term.

Although Samia was initially praised for restoring political space after succeeding the late John Magufuli in 2021, her administration has since faced increasing criticism for renewed repression of opposition parties, journalists, and civil society organizations.

Chadema, Tanzania’s largest opposition party, has been barred from participating in next week’s election, while its leader Tundu Lissu has been detained since April on treason-related charges. In addition, Luhaga Mpina, the presidential candidate of the ACT-Wazalendo party — the country’s second-largest opposition group — has been disqualified, leaving only candidates from minor parties to contest against President Samia.

Observers warn that these developments could further undermine Tanzania’s democratic credibility, as political freedoms shrink and opposition figures face relentless persecution.

With less than a week before Tanzanians head to the polls, the atmosphere remains tense, and the space for dissent narrower than ever.