Tanzania's Police Arrests Opposition Lawmaker Halima Mdee

A prominent Tanzanian lawmaker belonging to the main opposition party Chadema, Halima Mdee, was arrested by police upon arrival at Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport from South Africa, on April 1, 2018. She was in South Africa for medical treatment.

According to Dar es Salaam police, Ms Mdee will be locked up until April 3, 2018 when she and other six senior officers of Chadema will be sent to court to stand charges for alleged rebellion against the government, among others. The other locked up opposition officers include the party's leader Freeman Mbowe, secretary general Vincent Mashinyi, and the party's two deputy secretaries (general) John Mnyika and Salum Mwalimu.

The arrests and lockups of Chadema's leader and his senior colleagues are seen by many as nothing more than desperate attempts by the government and particularly the ruling CCM party to silence and weaken multi-party democracy in Tanzania. That may be an indication the ruling party is probably loosing

proper political direction or popularity, hence deeply worried the opposition may win the country's next general elections in 2020!

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