This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
On June 24, 2020, the Tanzanian opposition party, Alliance for Change and Transparency, condemned the arrest of its leader, Zitto Kabwe, and seven colleagues, describing it as a clear act of oppression and intimidation ahead of the country's October elections.
The East African nation will hold general elections in October, with President John Magufuli expected to run for a second term. Magufuli dissolved parliament last week.
According to the opposition party, police interrupted a legal political meeting in south-east Tanzania's Linde Region and arrested them on trumped up charges of unlawful assembly.
Rights groups have long accused President Magufuli of increasing oppression of the opposition since he came to power in 2015, with a clampdown on the media also taking place during this time.
