A police officer stands at the door during the counting of votes at Haile Selassie polling station in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Tanzania releases opposition figures arrested during election protests

by · Africanews

Tanzanian authorities on Monday released four opposition figures who were arrested on accusations of involvement in deadly election protests in October.

CHADEMA vice-chairman John Heche was among the four released on bail. He had been arrested on October 22 and questioned by police on suspicion of terrorism, according to his lawyer.

The protests, which observers say are the east African country's biggest political crisis to date started on the eve of the election which President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with nearly 98%.

CHADEMA has claimed as many as 1,000 people were killed by security forces. There has been no word on the death toll by the Tanzanian authorities.

In her inauguration speech, President Hassan acknowledged fatalities but stopped short of announcing an investigation.

On Friday, prosecutors charged at least 145 people with treason over their alleged involvement in the protests.

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