Tanzania shut down on July 7 under a heavy deployment of police and soldiers across the country after authorities arrested dozens of people accused of organizing or participating in planned anti-government demonstrations that had been banned. More than 130 people were arrested in total between early July and mid-July, with many facing terrorism charges that were initially filed as sedition or incitement charges. The arrested individuals include opposition party members, university lecturers, students, and activists who had called for democratic reforms and accountability for those killed during post-election violence. The government has linked the protests and activism to terrorism, with President Samia Suluhu Hassan stating that activism itself constitutes terrorism. Opposition leaders have criticized these charges as politically motivated attempts to silence dissent. Here’s the article:
—
Tanzania has intensified a sweeping crackdown on dissent by arresting and charging numerous officials, opposition party members, and activists with terrorism-related offenses for their roles in organizing or supporting planned July protests that were ultimately banned.
The wave of arrests and charges has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and human rights advocates who say the government is weaponizing terrorism laws to suppress legitimate political opposition and freedom of expression. The arrested individuals, according to reports, had either organized or participated in planning for demonstrations scheduled for July 7, a date commemorating the founding of Tanzania’s ruling party that has taken on political significance as a day for pro-democracy advocates to voice demands for reform.
Tanzanian authorities deployed heavy security forces across major cities including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Mwanza on July 7, effectively shutting down the country to prevent the demonstrations. Police arrested more than 130 people between July 5 and 7 alone on allegations of planning and encouraging acts intended to disrupt public order. Many who were initially charged with sedition or incitement offenses have since had their charges upgraded to terrorism allegations, a more serious classification that makes bail ineligible in most cases.
Among those charged with terrorism are university students, lecturers, and members of the main opposition party CHADEMA. Melkisedek Kaijage, a political science and public administration lecturer at the University of Dodoma, spent more than 13 days in police custody before being charged with terrorism. Prosecutors allege he threatened to burn public buildings as part of intimidation tactics related to the planned protests. He remains in custody awaiting trial, as terrorism charges typically are not eligible for bail under Tanzanian law.
Four university students from Mbeya were also charged with terrorism after appearing in court on July 23. They are accused of encouraging members of the public to engage in terrorist acts involving destruction of property with the intent to intimidate citizens. In the Mwanza region, over 20 individuals including members of CHADEMA have been charged with terrorism-related offenses in connection with the July 7 protests.
The government has justified the aggressive response by claiming that those organizing the protests planned to assassinate government and security officials, seize firearms, set fires to schools, destroy electrical infrastructure, and loot property. However, these allegations have been made without presenting publicly available evidence, and no details have been provided about the identities of those who allegedly made these plans.
The escalation in charges appears connected to statements made by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on July 9, in which she drew an explicit connection between activism and terrorism. “I would also like to use this opportunity to warn all those who call themselves activists by name in order to gain recognition internationally, but whose actions are, in reality, acts of terrorism,” she stated. The president added that those claiming to defend patriotic interests were actually driven by personal agendas and that the government would use “the authority of the state” to protect against such activities.
CHADEMA’s Secretary General John Mnyika has condemned the government’s approach, arguing that authorities have increasingly used terrorism accusations when addressing civic and political issues. The opposition party views the charges as politically motivated moves designed to silence dissent following disputed elections in October 2025 that were marked by significant post-election violence. According to official government figures, 518 people died from “unnatural causes” during that period, though some estimates suggest casualties were far higher.
The crackdown on the July 7 demonstrations follows months of tension in Tanzania. The government banned all political rallies on June 26, announced an “unprecedented crackdown” would follow any attempt to protest, and temporarily restricted access to social media platforms. Opposition leaders, including CHADEMA’s national chairman Tundu Lissu, remain imprisoned on charges that opposition figures and human rights organizations characterize as politically motivated attempts to prevent electoral challenges.
Tanzania’s handling of the July protests represents an expansion of the pattern that has defined the government’s response to political opposition since the disputed 2025 elections. By converting protest-related charges into terrorism offenses, authorities have made it possible to deny bail and impose harsher penalties. The use of such charges has sparked concern among international human rights organizations, which have documented the escalating tactics the government has employed to prevent organized dissent and political mobilization.
The opposition and civil society organizations say the terrorism designation of protest activities sets a troubling precedent for the country’s democratic development and freedom of expression. They point out that the protests themselves were peaceful, planned demonstrations centered on calls for constitutional reform and justice for those killed in the post-election violence—demands that critics argue fall squarely within the scope of legitimate political speech and assembly.
Human rights advocates have called for the immediate release of those detained and for the government to respect fundamental freedoms of expression and association. They warn that the criminalizing of activism through terrorism laws threatens the foundation of democratic participation and could escalate tensions in a country already dealing with the aftermath of controversial elections and significant loss of life.