Treason charges swell to 240 after deadly election protests in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam (EFE).– The number of people charged with treason over the violent protests that erupted across Tanzania during the Oct. 29 general elections has risen to 240, sources from the Prosecutor’s Office told EFE on Saturday.

An official from the Public Ministry, who requested anonymity, said that after an initial 98 defendants were brought before the Kisutu Court of First Instance in Dar es Salaam, another group appeared before the same court on Friday afternoon.

The defendants face charges of treason, conspiracy, vandalism, and destruction of public infrastructure.

During the hearing, defense attorneys Dickson Matata, Peter Kibatala, and Paul Kisabi told the court that their clients had been tortured in police custody and requested their transfer to a hospital.

Judge Aaron Lyamuya instead ordered that they undergo medical evaluation at prison facilities and that reports on their condition be submitted to the court.

On Friday night, Tanzanian police announced they were seeking the arrest of ten additional suspects, including senior figures from the main opposition party, the Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema).

Those named include the party’s secretary-general, John Mnyika; deputy secretary, Amaan Golugwa; and spokesperson, Brenda Rupia.

“The Police, in collaboration with other security and defense agencies, continue an intensive search for all those who planned, coordinated, and carried out these criminal acts,” the statement said.

The protests, which in some areas turned violent, broke out on election day and spread over three days across several cities.

Police responded with tear gas and live ammunition, while the government imposed a nationwide curfew and suspended internet access.

At least 150 people were killed in Dar es Salaam alone, health sources confirmed to EFE on October 31.

However, Chadema claims that as many as 1,000 people were killed by security forces in different parts of the country, according to a report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In response to the mounting death toll, the Tanganyika Law Society said this week it has begun distributing forms to help families register missing or presumed dead relatives, citing the government’s refusal to release the bodies.

Chadema has also accused the police of collecting corpses from hospitals in an attempt to “erase evidence and statistics.”

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in on Monday for a new five-year term after the National Electoral Commission declared her the winner with 97.66% of the vote in an election that excluded her two main rivals.

This was Hassan’s first electoral test since she assumed office in 2021 following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, under whom she had served as vice president. EFE

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