Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu was released on bail following his arrest by Karatu District Police. His arrest, made in his hotel room, was allegedly due to holding an illegal gathering and obstructing police duties, according to the police.
Lissu, who has been a vocal advocate for democratic progress and against authoritarianism and violence, has held multiple political rallies since his return from exile earlier this year — an exile necessitated by a 2017 assassination attempt. It was stated that he was due to hold another rally following his most recent arrest. He currently serves as the vice chairman of CHADEMA, the largest opposition party in Tanzania.
In a March 2021 interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, Lissu was quoted remarking that “Tanzania has needed a new constitutional order for a long time, and the introduction of multi-party democracy in 1992 made calls for reform louder, but not many people took reformers seriously.”
The leader’s decision to return to Tanzania was prompted, at least in part, by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s decision to lift a six-year ban on political assemblies by opposition parties, which had been put in place by former President John Magufuli. The provisions of Part II of the 1988 Tanzania Parliamentary Immunities, Powers and Privileges Act, however, uphold the freedom of members to hold meetings in constituencies.