Tanzania has charged more than 200 people with treason for their alleged roles in protests linked to the disputed 29 October general election, judicial sources and a lawyer confirmed on Friday. The charges follow days of violent unrest across the country after the election, which the opposition has widely branded a “sham”.
A lawyer representing the accused stated that more than 250 individuals appeared in court in the economic hub, Dar es Salaam, facing two sets of offences: conspiracy to commit treason and treason itself. Judicial sources in the court knew of at least 240 people who were charged.
According to the charge sheet, the accused are alleged to have sought to disrupt the election and intimidate the government by causing significant damage to state property. One court filing, identifying 76 suspects, accused them of forming an “intention to obstruct the 2025 general election for the purpose of intimidating the Executive of the Republic of Tanzania” in the commercial capital.
The election, which saw incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan win with over 97 per cent of the vote, was marred by widespread allegations of irregularities and a violent crackdown by security forces. The main opposition party, Chadema, and human rights activists have claimed that hundreds, possibly more than 1,000 people, were killed in the violence, though the authorities have declined to release an official death toll.
