Dar es Salaam – Lawyers representing Pauline Pallangyo, a young Tanzanian woman detained since April 9 on unspecified charges, have filed an urgent habeas corpus application at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, demanding that police either release her or bring her before a court.
The application, filed on April 15, 2026, by advocate Peter Kibatala of Tan Africa Law, states that Pauline has been held in police custody for seven days without access to legal counsel and without being charged before any court.
Pauline, a Dar es Salaam resident, was arrested in the early hours of April 9, 2026, when individuals identifying themselves as police officers arrived at the Dodoma home where she was staying, in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
According to her family, the officers refused to explain the reasons for her arrest, telling her she would find out at the police station, and also pressured her to provide the password to her mobile phone — a demand she refused.
The Dodoma Regional Police confirmed the arrest, stating she had been detained on criminal charges and was being held pending further legal steps. In a public statement, the police warned against spreading “misleading information” about the incident and threatened legal action against those who do so.
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Despite the police confirmation, Pauline’s legal team faced significant hurdles in accessing their client.In his sworn affidavit, Kibatala detailed how efforts to see her at the Dodoma Central Police Station on April 9 and 10 proved futile — they could not gain access, could not be informed of the charges, and could not be told when she would be taken to court.
On April 11, Kibatala was informed by the Dodoma Regional Crimes Officer that Pallangyo had been transferred to the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Constabulary.
Subsequent attempts to visit her at Chang’ombe Police Station in Dar es Salaam between April 12 and 15 were equally unsuccessful. The Temeke Regional Crimes Officer promised to facilitate access on April 15 at 9 am, but was neither present at the station at the agreed hour nor reachable by phone.
“The Tanzania Police Force has not shown inclination to either release the Applicant [Pauline] on Bail or otherwise, or to bring Her to Court so that she may be dealt with per the law,” Kibatala stated in the affidavit seen by The Chanzo.
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He described the habeas corpus application as a “last resort to secure and safeguard the Applicant’s Rights.”
The application, filed as Criminal Application No. 8137 of 2026, names the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General, the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Commander, the Dar es Salaam Special Police Zone Crimes Officer, and the Temeke Police Region Crimes Officer as respondents.
It asks the court to order Pauline to be brought before a judge immediately, and ultimately to direct her release on bail or her formal charging in accordance with the law.
This is not Pauline’s first encounter with law enforcement. She was previously charged with treason alongside hundreds of others following the October 2025 post-election protests.
Those charges were later dropped, and she was released in December 2025 following a directive from President Samia Suluhu Hassan to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
It is unclear if her current detention is related to these earlier proceedings or if it is a fresh arrest unrelated to them.
