Tanzania drops terrorism charges against opposition leader, releases him

A Tanzanian court dropped terrorism-related charges on Friday against opposition leader Freeman Mbowe and three co-accused and ordered their release, their lawyer said.

Mbowe, who is chairman of the Party for Democracy and Progress, commonly known as Chadema, was arrested on July 21, 2021, while campaigning for constitutional reforms. He was accused of paying three men to blow up gas stations and of being involved in “terrorism-related” activities.

His lawyer, Peter Kibatala, said Mbowe’s release was unexpected, coming on the morning that he was scheduled to testify in court.

After a Tanzanian opposition leader’s arrest, hopes for a democratic turn fade

“We did not know it would happen; we had spent the whole day in prison yesterday preparing Mr. Mbowe and his co-accused for defense,” Kibatala said in a phone interview.

“This has come as a pleasant surprise. We are sad that they did not get [to tell] their side of the story but elated that this very sad journey has come to an end,” he added.

Mbowe’s party has been pushing for democratic reforms in Tanzania that would reduce the central government's power and give parliament greater oversight.

His arrest came just months after the death of the East African country’s former leader, John Magufuli, in March 2021. Magufuli’s presidency was marked by widespread crackdowns against the opposition, civil society and media, but he was also admired for his focus on infrastructure investments, which earned him the nickname “the Bulldozer.”

His successor, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female president, backed away from Magufuli’s fierce denial of the coronavirus pandemic and urged all Tanzanians to get vaccinated. She also replaced several top government officials, including the top state prosecutor.

However, Hassan reiterated that political parties could not hold rallies until the next election, which is set for 2025.

Tanzanian activist and journalist Maria Sarungi Tsehai said the government had no case against Mbowe and realized his detention could not stifle the continued push for constitutional reforms.

“It is the resilience of everybody that has been proven by the continued pressure and the fact that the government had to finally relent and acknowledge they do not have a case against Mbowe and that this was not going to help them in trying to stifle the constitutional reform movement,” Sarungi said.