Dar es Salaam — The opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) has called on the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Anda Filip, to visit detained party chairman Tundu Lissu and meet victims of the violence that followed Tanzania’s October 29, 2025 General Election.
CHADEMA Secretary General John Mnyika made the appeal on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, saying direct engagement with Lissu, opposition leaders, trusted religious figures, civil society organisations and affected citizens would enable the IPU leadership and delegates attending its 153rd Assembly in Arusha to gain a fuller understanding of Tanzania’s political and human rights situation.
Mnyika said the IPU should listen to all political sides rather than relying on statements delivered during the opening of the assembly, arguing that the organisation’s mandate requires engagement with both governing and opposition parties.
“We call on the IPU Secretary General and parliamentarians to seek the truth about governance, justice and politics in Tanzania from victims of the October 29 killings and key stakeholders in the electoral process,” Mnyika said during a press conference in Dar es Salaam.
He also urged residents of Arusha to engage IPU delegates whenever they encounter them and provide information about the country’s political and human rights situation.
“Let citizens become agents, ambassadors and representatives who tell the delegates the truth about the situation of democracy and human rights in Tanzania, including the killings and what we consider to have been massive electoral fraud,” he said.
The remarks come as thousands of parliamentarians and other delegates from around the world gather in Arusha for the IPU Assembly that was graced by the President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan and UN Chief António Guterres on Monday.
Mr Mnyika also questioned what he described as the IPU’s silence over the 2017 shooting of Lissu, who was shot several times outside his residence in Dodoma while serving as a Member of Parliament.
He argued that the incident should remain an important issue for the global parliamentary body because it directly concerns the safety and rights of a parliamentarian.
Mr Lissu survived the attack and was subsequently treated abroad. No suspects have been publicly brought to justice over the shooting, while CHADEMA has continued to call for an independent investigation.
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Mnyika said the IPU had previously been informed by Mr Lissu about what CHADEMA considers violations of his parliamentary rights, including the loss of his parliamentary seat.
He questioned why the shooting and the subsequent handling of the case had not featured more prominently in IPU discussions.
“This concerns the life and safety of a parliamentarian. It should be one of the major issues discussed by the IPU so that such an incident does not happen to another parliamentarian,” Mr Mnyika said.
He urged the IPU to include the matter in its discussions in Arusha, including through a meeting between its Secretary General and Mr Lissu in prison.
Mr Mnyika further called for the IPU to engage Tanzania’s police and government officials over the 2017 shooting, prepare a report on its findings and allow parliamentarians attending the assembly to deliberate on the matter.
He said such discussions could result in resolutions and follow-up measures requiring the Tanzanian government to address the case.
He maintained that the IPU’s engagement with Tanzanian stakeholders should extend beyond government officials to opposition parties, victims, civil society organisations, independent media and trusted religious institutions.
