Tanzanian human rights activist Maria Sarungi Tsehai has raised alarm over what she describes as increasing authoritarianism under President Samia Suluhu’s administration, following the detention of two officials from the opposition party Chadema on Saturday, July 12, 2025.

Taking to social media on Sunday, Tsehai condemned the arrests of Chadema's Director of Communications and Publicity, Brenda Rupia, and party official Leonard Magere. She described their detentions as part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

“This is not a coincidence. In one single day, two leaders from @ChademaTZ2 have been prevented from travelling, their passports confiscated, and now held incommunicado by police,” she posted. “When pressed, border officers say it is ‘orders from above’, which means @SuluhuSamia’s. Freedom of movement is now curtailed in a full-blown dictatorship.”

According to CHADEMA, Rupia was detained at the Namanga border while attempting to cross into Kenya en route to Germany for a scheduled meeting. The party said she was later transferred to the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Arusha before being transported under police escort to Dar es Salaam.

“Today, Ms. Brenda Rupia was blocked at the Namanga border and taken to the RCO office in Arusha. She is currently being transported to Dar es Salaam under tight security,” read part of Chadema’s statement, originally issued in Swahili.

The party also condemned the government for blocking Leonard Magere, who was due to travel to the United Kingdom, accusing authorities of targeting opposition leaders with politically motivated restrictions.

Earlier, Chadema had voiced concerns that Rupia was being denied her right to travel and alleged plans to deport her forcefully to Dar es Salaam.

“We wish to inform the public that our Director of Communications and Publicity, Ms. Brenda Rupia, was denied entry into Kenya and is currently being held at the Namanga border. We have credible information that the authorities intend to forcibly deport her,” the party said on its X (formerly Twitter) page.

The incident has further fueled criticism of President Suluhu’s leadership, with rights defenders accusing her administration of stifling opposition voices and curtailing civil liberties ahead of the next electoral cycle.