Tanzania’s government has charged dozens of citizens with treason and criminal conspiracy following a wave of deadly protests over last month’s disputed election — a move that religious leaders and rights advocates warn could deepen the country’s political crisis.
According to court documents obtained by international news agencies, between 76 and 145 people are accused of attempting to obstruct the October 29 election, which saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan claim victory with nearly 98 percent of the vote.
Prosecutors allege that some of the defendants conspired to disrupt polling and incite unrest; one businesswoman has been specifically accused of selling tear-gas masks to protesters.
Opposition party Chadema and human rights groups say more than 1,000 people were killed during clashes with security forces, who used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.
The government has rejected that figure but has yet to provide its own death toll, fueling accusations of a cover-up.
The African Union’s election observation mission sharply criticized the vote, citing ballot stuffing, a nationwide internet blackout, military intimidation, and politically motivated abductions that “compromised the integrity of the election.”
Both of the country’s leading opposition candidates were disqualified before the polls opened. Tundu Lissu, Chadema’s leader, remains imprisoned on separate treason charges brought earlier this year.
Religious and civic leaders have urged restraint, warning that criminalizing dissent will only harden divisions. “These charges will not bring peace,” said Bishop Benson Bagonza of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania.
“They will only deepen the acrimony that has already wounded this nation.”
The treason indictments — among the most serious in Tanzanian law and punishable by death — mark the government’s most forceful crackdown on dissent since President Hassan succeeded the late John Magufuli in 2021.
Hassan, who was once viewed by Western observers as a potential reformer, has increasingly relied on security forces to suppress opposition and silence critics, particularly in urban centers where protests erupted after the election results were announced.
International observers and civil society organizations are now calling for an independent investigation into the election violence and the mass arrests.
Human Rights Watch described the charges as “a clear attempt to intimidate the opposition and close civic space,” while Amnesty International said the detentions “violate fundamental political rights guaranteed under Tanzania’s constitution and international law.”
Despite the mounting criticism, the government insists it acted within its legal mandate to maintain order.
In a brief statement, a justice ministry spokesperson said, “The Republic will not tolerate acts that threaten national security or seek to undermine democracy through violence.”
