As Tanzania approaches general elections on 29 October 2025, ARTICLE 19 continues to raise concerns over the intensifying crackdown on civic space, political opposition, and regional solidarity. The increasing restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association threaten to erode democratic principles and silence dissenting voices across the country during the upcoming elections.
On 22 October, John Heche, the deputy leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, The Party for Democracy and Progress (CHADEMA), was arrested outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam where the treason case of his party leader Tundu Lissu was underway. The arrest comes just days after he and other party members were barred from traveling to Kenya to attend the funeral of the late former prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga.
‘The upcoming elections slated for 29 October 2025 are at serious risk of lacking credibility, as authorities intensify repression against opposition parties, journalists, and civil society groups. This growing campaign of intimidation has created a pervasive climate of fear, undermining the conditions for a free and fair vote,’ said Mr. Mugambi Kiai, ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa regional director.
In recent weeks, authorities barred CHADEMA from participating in the general elections, following its refusal to sign a controversial electoral code of conduct, a move it said was part of its push for voting reforms. Although in theory CHADEMA supported the code, the party opposed, stating that it was being politically manipulated, and implemented in ways that entrench incumbency and restrict democracy. The party further argued that the code was being applied selectively, and restricts freedom of expression and campaigning through vague provisions, as well as being enforced by a partisan electoral body that undermines fair political competition.
This came just days after its leader, Tundu Lissu, was charged with treason. Authorities also announced that CHADEMA will be excluded from all by-elections until 2030, further raising concerns about political repression ahead of the presidential and parliamentary polls in which Lissu was expected to challenge incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Adding to these concerns, on 15 September, the electoral commission also disqualified opposition leader Luhaga Mpina, reversing an earlier decision made just days earlier that had briefly reinstated his candidacy. Mpina, who heads the country’s second-largest opposition party, the Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT) – Wazalendo, had been cleared to contest the presidency following a High Court ruling overturning his initial disqualification. The decision was upheld by the high court on 20 October. His renewed exclusion effectively leaves President Samia Suluhu Hassan with little meaningful competition in the election. These actions, coupled with CHADEMA’s exclusion, highlight a systematic effort to eliminate political pluralism and silence opposition voices, undermining Tanzanians’ right to genuine political participation.
Tundu Lissu was arrested and charged with treason on 10 April 2025, following a peaceful rally in the southern region of the country. According to prosecutors, the charge stems from a public speech he gave in which it is alleged he called for rebellion and disruption of the October presidential and parliamentary elections. He was not permitted to enter a plea on the treason charge but pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of publishing false information. Lissu further declined to participate in a court hearing after authorities insisted it be held virtually, a move his legal team criticised as a violation of due process. His lawyer, Peter Rupia, condemned the decision to deny Lissu a physical court appearance, stating that it ‘infringes upon the right of the accused person’. As the CHADEMA leaders continue to face criminal charges, they are also barred from participating in the presidential elections this month.
Background
On 19 May 2025, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan publicly warned against what she described as ‘interference’ by foreign activists in the country’s internal affairs, following attempts by several regional observers to attend the ongoing treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu. In a public address, President Suluhu stated, ‘We have started to observe a trend in which activists from within our region are attempting to intrude and interfere in our affairs.’ She went on to suggest that such individuals had already ‘destabilised their countries’ and should not be allowed to ‘disrupt’ Tanzania, which she described as ‘the only remaining peaceful nation’. The president also called on security and defence agencies to prevent what she termed ‘ill-mannered individuals from other countries’ from overstepping boundaries. This baseless rhetoric fuels hostility toward legitimate regional unity and poses a dangerous precedent for criminalising cross-border advocacy and solidarity.
This statement followed detention and denial of entry to the country of several high-profile human rights defenders and political figures from Kenya who had travelled to the country to offer solidarity to the CHADEMA party leader Tundu Lissu as his case got underway. Kenya’s former Chief Justice Dr. Willy Mutunga, along with Kenyan human rights activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid, were briefly detained upon arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and denied entry to Tanzania. Similarly, Kenya’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, who was traveling with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council member Gloria Kimani and Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network member Lynn Ngugi, was also denied entry and deported to Kenya.
Given the deterioration of civic space, the government of Tanzania must take immediate action to ensure that the rights of East African citizens are protected. Specifically, the government must:
- Guarantee the right of opposition parties to operate freely, including full and equal participation in the political process without intimidation, harassment, or undue restrictions.
- Cease the harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention of opposition leaders, political activists, and human rights defenders, including those from the East African region, and immediately release all individuals detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
- Immediately halt arbitrary arrests, detentions, and deportations of human rights defenders and regional solidarity actors, and ensure their rights are respected in accordance with international law.
- Ensure independent and unhindered access to all judicial proceedings related to opposition leader Tundu Lissu, in line with regional and international fair trial standards.
- Uphold Tanzania’s commitments under regional and international human rights instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Furthermore, we call upon the international community to closely monitor the situation in Tanzania and to speak out in defence of human rights and democratic principles. The government of Tanzania must understand that it will be held accountable for any violations of international law or human rights norms.