Tanzanian police have detained a senior opposition figure just days before the country’s presidential election, intensifying concerns about political repression in the East African nation.
John Heche, the deputy chair of Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, was arrested outside a court in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday, according to party officials. He had arrived to attend the ongoing treason trial of party leader Tundu Lissu.
“Heche is being held at the central police station,” CHADEMA Secretary General John Mnyika told reporters. “No reason has been given for his detention.”
Police later transferred Heche to Tarime, a district in northwestern Tanzania, without public explanation. CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia confirmed the move in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying the party still had no details of the charges, if any.
The arrest comes as opposition parties accuse President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government of silencing dissent ahead of the October 29 election. Both CHADEMA and ACT-Wazalendo — Tanzania’s two largest opposition parties — have been barred from running, leaving the incumbent facing only smaller challengers.
Human rights groups have also raised alarms over what they describe as a pattern of abductions and arrests targeting opposition figures.
President Hassan has previously rejected claims of political persecution, insisting her government “respects human rights.” She ordered an inquiry into reports of abductions last year, but no findings have been made public.
Tanzania’s Immigration Department recently accused Heche of leaving the country “without following procedure.” CHADEMA denied the claim, saying he had travelled to attend the funeral of Kenya’s late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa and senior police officials Jumanne Muliro and Yustino Mgonja did not respond to media requests for comment.
The detention adds to growing unease ahead of next week’s vote, which critics fear will be held under an atmosphere of intimidation and control.
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