Dar es Salaam – Four senior leaders from Tanzania’s main opposition party, CHADEMA, were released on bail on Monday, November 10, 2025, after being held in separate police stations. The release comes amidst a widening crackdown on opposition figures following the country’s disputed general election on October 29, 2025.
The freed individuals include the party’s vice-chairperson (Mainland), John Heche; the deputy secretary-general (Mainland), Amani Golugwa; the chairperson for the Coastal Zone, Boniface Jacob; and Central Committee member Godbless Lema.
According to a statement from CHADEMA, all four have been instructed to report to the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, for further legal proceedings.
Mr Heche’s release occurred as the High Court in Dar es Salaam was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by his lawyers. The petition challenged the legality of his detention since October 22, 2025, arguing he had been held for more than two weeks without being brought before a court.
Authorities have reportedly informed his legal team that he faces two charges of terrorism.
READ MORE: Tanzania After October 29, 2025: Reclaiming the Island of Peace
The arrests are part of a broader government response to nationwide protests that erupted on election day. More than 240 citizens have been charged with treason, a capital offence, in the wake of the demonstrations.
Mr Golugwa, Mr Jacob, and Mr Lema were all arrested on November 8, 2025, after being named on a police wanted list.
The election saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan re-elected with a declared 97.6 per cent of the vote. However, the electoral process was criticised by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Election Observation Mission, which concluded in a preliminary report that the polls fell short of regional democratic standards.
The Tanganyika Law Society has described the mass treason charges as a “mockery of justice.”
