Over 200 Charged with Treason in Tanzania Following Election Protests

Tanzania has charged more than 200 people with treason, according to a lawyer and judicial sources, amid a crackdown on opposition figures following violent post-election protests. The opposition also reported on Saturday that yet another senior party leader had been arrested.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured the October 29 election with 98 per cent of the vote, according to the national electoral commission. However, the opposition, barred from participating, has denounced the poll as a “sham.”

Protests erupted across the country on election day, with reports indicating hundreds, if not thousands, of casualties. Verification of the death toll has been difficult due to a multi-day internet shutdown, which restricted the flow of reliable information.

On Friday, hundreds appeared in court in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam. Lawyer Peter Kibatala told AFP, “All of these ladies and gentlemen, numbering more than 250 in total, were arraigned in three separate cases… and they’re all charged with two sets of offences. The first set is a conspiracy to commit treason, and the second set is treason itself.”

Judicial sources confirmed that at least 240 people have been charged, though the opposition party Chadema claims that up to 800 people were killed in the violence, with some reports suggesting the toll could reach thousands. Authorities have not released official figures on deaths or injuries.

On Saturday, Chadema announced the arrest of Deputy Secretary General Amani Golugwa in Arusha, leaving only three of the party’s six top leaders free. Party leader Tundu Lissu has been in detention since April facing treason charges, while Vice-Chairman John Heche was arrested in October and charged with “terrorism acts.”

“We understand that the government intends to charge our leaders with treason in an attempt to cripple the Party’s leadership and paralyse its operations,” Chadema said in a statement on X.

The arrests follow a police warning on Friday that officers were searching for key opposition figures, including Secretary General John Mnyika, Deputy Amani Golugwa, and spokesperson Brenda Rupia, in connection with election-related violence.

“We call on them to surrender to the police immediately,” said Tanzania police spokesperson David Misime, signalling the authorities’ continued hardline approach against opposition leaders.