On Monday, police in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, blocked access to the homes of two opposition leaders, according to their party, ahead of protests that the authorities have banned.
The police set up barricades at the residences of Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the CHADEMA party, and his deputy, Tundu Lissu, stating that the demonstration against alleged killings and abductions of opposition officials would be considered illegal.
Although President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 following the death of her hardline predecessor, John Magufuli, has made strides in improving the country’s human rights record, reports of police brutality targeting government critics continue to persist.
Rights defenders note that such abuses have intensified in the lead-up to the local government elections in December and the national elections in 2025.
Earlier this month, a senior CHADEMA member was abducted from a bus by armed men, with his body later discovered on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, showing signs of having been beaten and having acid poured on his face.
In August, police briefly detained Mbowe, Lissu, and hundreds of their supporters to prevent them from attending a prohibited party conference in the southwest of the country.
“Since last night and until this morning, September 23, 2024, the police force has closed all the roads leading to the home of the chairman of the national party,” CHADEMA said on the social media platform X.
Lissu, who miraculously survived after being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2016, reported that his house was surrounded by three police vehicles carrying officers in riot gear.
“They’ve informed me I’m directed to be taken to the Regional Crimes Officer,” he wrote on X. “I’m getting ready to go.”
The police chief of Dar es Salaam, Jumanne Muliro, stated over the weekend that the protest scheduled for Monday would disturb the peace. He also mentioned that his officers would use strict legal measures to stop the protest from occurring.