Sixty-one people arrested in early July in Tanzania for calling for or taking part in planned protests have been charged with “terrorism”, the opposition party Chadema said on Monday
Around 70 other people arrested during the same period are still in police custody and waiting to be charged, it said.
On July 9, two days after a foiled demonstration, the police said they had arrested 130 people suspected of planning criminal acts or inciting them by sharing messages related to the protest.
“Sixty-one people have been charged with terrorism until today and most of them are our members,” Chadema’s lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala told reporters.
“Chadema is not supporting terrorism at all… Participating or attempting to take part in demonstrations is not terrorism,” he said.
“It’s very dangerous if Tanzania wants to criminalise some legitimate political activities.
“Some people are accused of planning to burn public and private properties and others accused of planning to kill police,” Nshala added.
Chadema’s leader, Tundu Lissu, has been imprisoned since April 2025 on treason charges.
The police said on Sunday they had so far charged 36 people, accused of planning “disturbances and violence” or inciting them.
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They should face the law