Tanzania's Chadema calls for protests as police impose ban

Tanzania’s leading opposition party has called on its supporters to protest outside a courthouse where its leader is due to appear next week on treason charges, despite police warnings against the demonstration.

The government has been intensifying its crackdown on opposition groups, with Chadema leader Tundu Lissu and several party members detained just last week.

At a rally, Chadema deputy chairman John Heche urged supporters to gather at the court on April 24 to show their solidarity with Lissu.

Lissu’s Chadema party has accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of adopting the repressive strategies of her predecessor as the country approaches the October general election.

The day before, Heche had urged party supporters to maintain peace during the demonstration, advising them to "tie a white cloth around your arm as a symbol of our call for peace."

"We will go from street to street to ensure that people show up," Heche declared.

However, on Thursday, Tanzanian police issued a warning against the planned protest at the courthouse, accusing the opposition of "inciting unrest."

"The police warn those encouraging others to support this harmful plan, and we urge them to refrain from participating," Dar es Salaam regional police chief Muliro Jumanne cautioned.

Jumanne further stated that anyone found responsible would "face strict legal action."

In response, Heche dismissed the police warning, asserting that there is no law that grants the police such authority.

Tanzania is set to hold its presidential and national assembly elections in October.

Earlier this week, the main opposition party was excluded from the upcoming elections after it declined to sign the electoral code of conduct.

The party explained that it refused to sign due to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s failure to provide a written response to its "proposals and demands for necessary electoral reforms."

Last year, Lissu cautioned that Chadema would "block the elections through confrontation" if the electoral system was not reformed.

The opposition’s demands for reform have long been ignored by the ruling party.