Tanzanian prominent opposition leader charged with treason after calling for electoral reforms

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DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AP) — Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was charged with treason Thursday following his arrest at a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms ahead of planned general elections in October.

Lissu, chairperson of the main opposition party CHADEMA, was arrested on Wednesday night over what regional police called incitement. The opposition in Tanzania has been calling for electoral reforms to ensure the upcoming poll is free and fair.

Lissu on Thursday afternoon arrived at the Kisutu magistrate’s court in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam appearing in high spirits and in the company of his lawyers and opposition party politicians.

The opposition leader was forced into a police vehicle late Wednesday after he had just finished addressing a public rally in Mbinga, south of the country more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Dar es Salaam.

“I came here, we held a peaceful meeting, and now I understand the tactics of the police. We are now clear on the situation; I will not enter the vehicle. There is no need for that. We will sleep here. What is the problem?” Lissu asked the police, moments before his supporters were teargassed.

Human rights activists have accused the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition. The government denies the claims.

In 2017, three years before the last election, Lissu survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times.

Tanzania is set to elect the president and members of parliament in the October elections. CHADEMA has been critical of the absence of an independent electoral commission and laws that favor the ruling party, CCM, which has been in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961.