Security strengthened as Tanzanian opposition leader appears in court

The leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party appeared before the country’s High Court on Tuesday to face terrorism charges in a case described by his party as a politically motivated move to crush dissent.

Chadema party chairman Freeman Mbowe and his supporters accuse police of torturing him in custody to force him to give a statement during the trial, which began under tight security, with most journalists banned from the courtroom by the police.

Mbowe has been behind bars since July 21, when he was arrested along with other senior Chadema officials in an overnight police raid hours before a public forum was held to demand constitutional reforms.

The 59-year-old has been charged with terrorist financing and conspiracy in a case that has raised concerns about the state of democracy and the rule of law under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

On Monday, Mbowe appeared in court to file a lawsuit against senior legal officials, claiming his constitutional rights were violated during his arrest and when he was charged.

Hassan’s government, citing the regulations and security of Covid-19, had warned foreign diplomats against going to court to follow up on the case without notifying the Foreign Ministry.

Representatives of the British and American embassies were present at Tuesday’s hearing before the court in Dar es Salaam, which was also attended by senior Chadema leaders.

The opposition denounced the arrests as a return to the oppressive regime of the late Tanzanian leader John Magufuli, who died suddenly in March.

There had been hopes that Hassan would usher in a new era of democracy after the increasingly autocratic rule of Magufuli, nicknamed the “Bulldozer” for his uncompromising style.

But Chadema leaders say the arrests of Mbowe and his colleagues reflect a deeper slide towards “dictatorship.”

They have accused the government of interfering in the case and want the court to dismiss the charges.

Prosecutors said the allegations against Mbowe did not relate to the constitutional reform conference Chadema planned to hold in the port city of Mwanza in July, but alleged violations last year in another part of Tanzania.

Chadema said prosecutors accused Mbowe of plotting to attack a public official and giving 600,000 Tanzanian shillings ($ 260/220 euros) to blow up gas stations and public gatherings and fell trees to block roads.