Hundreds Charged With Treason in Tanzania After Disputed Presidential Election

Tanzania’s political crisis deepened as hundreds of people were charged with treason following protests over the country’s disputed presidential election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with over 97% of the vote.

Authorities confirmed that dozens were arraigned in Dar es Salaam and other regions, with more arrests and warrants issued for top opposition figures, including Brenda Rupia, communications director of the Chadema opposition party, and its secretary-general John Mnyika. Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, already jailed for several months, also faces treason charges for calling for electoral reforms before the October 29 vote.

The crackdown follows widespread protests and violent clashes that left an unknown number of people dead. Chadema claims over 1,000 were killed, while the Catholic Church estimates the death toll in the hundreds. Reports have also surfaced of authorities concealing bodies to downplay the scale of the killings.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused the government of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings ahead of and after the polls. The government has denied all allegations.

Election observers from the African Union (AU) reported ballot stuffing, multiple voting, and intimidation, concluding that the election failed to meet international standards for democracy.

President Hassan, who first assumed office in 2021 following the death of John Magufuli, ran virtually unopposed after major opposition candidates were barred from contesting. Critics accuse her of tightening authoritarian control and silencing dissent, continuing the dominance of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed Tanzania since independence in 1961.