The Tanzanian opposition said that the authorities arrested a prominent official in its ranks, on his way to travel to Belgium to attend a political conference in which the British Conservative Party and the American Republican participated.
The opposition party said that Amani Gologoa, one of its prominent leaders, was arrested last Monday at Julius Nerry International Airport in the capital, Dar Al Salam.
Gologoa was scheduled to participate in a forum organized by the International Democracy Union in Brussels, where the center -right parties to which the Tanzanian party belongs to Chadima.
In a related context, the Tanzanian police confirmed the arrest of Gologua in a post on its official account via Instagram, and said that he “used to travel outside the country, and return to it without adhering to legal procedures.”
The arrest of opposition leaders in the country comes amid the escalation of fears of a growing suppression campaign as the elections scheduled for next October.
Although President Samia Solouho Hassan, who is seeking to be elected in a second state, says that the government is obligated to respect freedoms and human rights, a series of arrests took place in the recent period, raised questions about its record in this field.
Concept and solidarity
After the arrest of Gologois, and prevented him from leaving outside the country, the International Federation of Democracy condemned this measure and considered it outside of democratic values and in contradiction to public freedoms.
On the “X” platform, the Union wrote, “We strongly condemn the illegal arrest and assault that the Chadima Gologois member was subjected to … The silence of the opposition voices is a fundamental violation of the values of democracy, and we demand the immediate release of it.”
Last month, the police arrested the head of the Chadima Party, Tondo Leso, one of the most prominent opposition figures in Tanzina, who had previously survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after suffering 16 bullets, and came second in the last presidential elections, and represented his party with more than 20 members of Parliament.
Leso was charged with betrayal, rebellion, and disruption of elections, after organizing several marches that included most of the country, in early April under the slogan “No reforms, no elections”, in which he demanded fundamental reforms in the electoral process that he says is in the interest of the ruling party.
Days after the arrest of Leso, the election committee announced the exclusion of the “Chadima” party from participating in the upcoming entitlements because of its refusal to sign the electoral behavior blog.
