Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, says its deputy leader John Heche has been charged with terrorism, two weeks after his arrest in the capital Dodoma, deepening political tensions following a highly contested general election.
Heche, who was detained on October 22, was transferred to Dar es Salaam, where he was formally informed of the charges, his lawyer Hekima Mwasipu told BBC Swahili. It remains unclear when he will appear in court.
“He is not in good health,” Mwasipu said, adding that the defense team has filed a petition for his release on bail.
The Tanzanian government has not yet responded to media inquiries about the case.
The terrorism charge comes days after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in for another term, following an election widely criticized by opposition leaders and international observers.
Hassan was declared the winner with 98% of the vote, a result Chadema denounced as a “sham”, citing widespread irregularities, voter intimidation, and ballot manipulation.
The election triggered violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, leaving hundreds dead, according to opposition figures. Chadema told AFP that at least 800 people had been killed by Saturday, while a diplomatic source told the BBC there was credible evidence of at least 500 deaths.
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The government has downplayed those figures, calling them exaggerated, but President Hassan acknowledged during her inauguration that there had been “loss of lives and destruction of property.”
The African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) missions both expressed concern about the integrity of the October 2025 election.
In a rare rebuke, the AU observer mission said the polls “did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international standards for democratic elections.”
Observers reported ballot stuffing, multiple ballots issued to individual voters, and a lack of transparency in the vote count.
The AU urged Tanzania to “prioritize electoral and political reforms” to prevent further democratic decline.
Meanwhile, SADC observers said the election failed to meet the minimum requirements for a free and fair vote, citing intimidation and the detention of opposition figures.
Heche’s arrest follows the detention of Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu, who is currently facing treason charges that he denies. His imprisonment prevented him from contesting the presidential race, prompting Chadema to boycott the election.
Another opposition figure, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, was disqualified on legal technicalities ahead of the vote.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have accused the government of carrying out a “wave of terror” ahead of the elections, citing torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of opposition activists. The government has rejected those claims, insisting that law enforcement acted lawfully.
Families across the country are still searching for missing relatives or burying victims of the election violence, as calls mount for an independent investigation.
President Hassan, who became Tanzania’s first female leader in 2021, has faced both domestic and international pressure to restore democratic freedoms and release political detainees.
Despite her early promises of reform, critics say her administration has returned to authoritarian practices reminiscent of her predecessor, John Magufuli, under whom opposition parties were severely restricted.