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Tanzania drops terrorism charges against opposition leader, releases him
Washington PostDec 27, 2021
The Facts
After seven months under arrest, Tanzanian opposition leader Freeman Mbowe was released on Friday and had charges of terrorism financing and conspiracy against him dropped.
The chair of Chadema was arrested in July 2021, just hours before a New Constitution forum he had organized to debate democratic reforms.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The case against Mbowe illustrates the fragility of the rule of law in Tanzania. Currently, innocent people can be arrested and detained without evidence and charges can be dropped at any stage without reason. Tanzania's justice system must be reformed.
Pro-establishment narrative
President Samia Hassan's leadership is uniting the country by making conciliatory overtures to the opposition, in stark contrast to her predecessor, John Magufuli. She has already met with the recently freed politician in order to strengthen trust and mutual respect, signs of a healthy democracy and of nation building.
