Under Secretary Nuland’s Travel to South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Niger

[bagamoyo]

4 Aug 2021

US Official: Tanzanian Opposition Leader’s Arrest Is “Test” For New President


U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland was in Tanzania Wednesday where she spoke about the arrest of opposition leader Freeman Mbowe and at least 10 other Chadema party members and staff who face terrorism charges.
Source : VOA Africa

​

 

[bagamoyo]

Mtihani mkubwa kwa serikali ya CCM awamu ya 6.

Mwendazake yeye aliweza kupiga propaganda kali ya madaraja, flyovers, SGR reli mpya, Stiegler's Gorge NNHPP Rufiji 2,100 MW , Air Tanzania kiasi akawahadaa waAfrika na Diaspora wakamwona ni 'shujaa wa Afrika' wakati akiendelea kuminya uhuru, demokrasia na haki za binadamu na ulimwengu ukasita wasionekane mabeberu wanaotaka kumfitini shujaa wao JPM.

Awamu ya sita hawana pa kushikia kupigia propaganda za kufisha maovu yanayotendeka kama muondelezo toka awamu ya 5 na sasa awamu ya 6 inataka kumuigiza JPM lakini wamefeli jinsi ya kuficha maovu yao.

Ni muda tu , tutaona Tanzania ikiwa ktk kurasa za mbele za majarida tajwa ulimwenguni na media zake ikishutumiwa vikali vya ukiukwaju mkubwa wa haki za binadamu na kukaba roho ya demokrasia isiishi.

 

[bagamoyo]

4 August 2021
Columbia, South Carolina
USA

Ambassador Victoria Nuland | UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS



Tanzania Waziri wa Mambo Ya Nje | Amefanya Mazungumzo na Mama Mulaula na Viongozi wa Vyama vya Siasa Tanzania. America Swahili News na Swahili Villa tunafuatilia mazungumzo hayo kwa karibu sana
Source : America Swahili News

 

[darcity]

......atakuja,ataenda. Sheria za nchi zipo pale pale ziheshimiwe

 

[bagamoyo]

04 August 2021

Arrests of Tanzanian Opposition Underline Need for Constitutional Reform​

The arrest of opposition figures in Tanzania, ostensibly for meeting to discuss constitutional reform, has only served to underline the country's need for a new constitution.

Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Tanzania's then-Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan attend the inauguration ceremony of Burundi's President elect Evariste Ndayishimiye at the Ingoma stadium in Gitega, Burundi June 18, 2020. Evrard Ngendakumana/Reuters

Blog Post by Nolan Quinn, Guest Blogger
August 4, 2021 1:40 pm (EST)

On July 21, Freeman Mbowe, chairman of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (the Party for Democracy and Progress, CHADEMA), and ten other party members were arrested in Mwanza, apparently for violating a ban on “unnecessary gatherings.” The ban, enacted the day prior, was officially billed as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Yet its timing, coming just before a conference on discussing constitutional reform, and the charges levelled against Mbowe—the party leader is accused, without evidence, of funding terrorist activities aimed at assassinating government leaders—suggest the true intent is to suppress calls for much-needed constitutional reform.

Tanzania’s constitution, ratified in 1977, is among the oldest remaining in force in sub-Saharan Africa. Written at the height of one-party rule [PDF], the constitution codified CCM’s supremacy in a one-party state and created a highly centralized presidency. (Julius Nyerere, Tanzania’s first president and the architect of its constitution, once quipped “I have sufficient powers under the constitution to be a dictator.”) Multiparty politics were reintroduced in 1992, but the change came through a constitutional amendment rather than a new document, leaving the “imperial presidency” in place.

Political stability allowed CCM to remain entrenched, winning elections—which have never been truly free or fair—without inciting widespread calls for a new constitution. Then, after CHADEMA nearly quintupled its share of the national vote in the 2010 election (which it still lost) campaigning on a platform of constitutional reform, President Jakaya Kikwete in 2012 appointed a Constitutional Review Commission; current President Samia Suluhu Hassan then served as the deputy chairperson of the Constituent Assembly tasked with preparing the proposed constitution. However, the reform process stalled, in part due to opposition from Kikwete’s own party members, meaning John Magufuli in 2015 entered Tanzania’s highest office without any changes to the constitution.
Source : Arrests of Tanzanian Opposition Underline Need for Constitutional Reform

 

[bagamoyo]

5 August 2021
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The arrest of a major opposition figure in Tanzania, crowds show up outside the court

People turned up outside the Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam Tanzania with placards, where for the second time Freeman Mbowe was to appear before the magistrates court. Several people have been arrested in the vicinity of the court.

 

[bagamoyo]

5 August 2021
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The Trial of Freeman Mbowe


People on the streets of Dar es Salaam Tanzania, condemned the state's apparatus for undermining the rights of people to attend court proceedings, where today morning hearing of a case against the leader of opposition in Tanzania Mr. Freeman Mbowe was taking place.

 

[bagamoyo]

Tanzania: International Democratic Union (IDU) Reacts to the arrest of Freeman Mbowe




#Tanzania: International Democratic Union (IDU) Reacts to the arrest of Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe and 10 other members. IDU says the arrests are a crackdown on Democracy movements in Tanzania and has vowed to take action towards securing the release of Mbowe and the others.

IDU also will want the Hague based The International Criminal Court to put an eye on want is going on in Tanzania over the past five years and it to take proper action against the perpetrators of violence, use of excessive force and inhumane acts in Tanzania.

Democracy movements in Tanzania has vowed to take action
Source : Mwanzo TV

 

[bagamoyo]

2 Aug 2021
Dar es Salaam,

A Warning from the Inspector General of Police to the CHADEMA party members not to gather near the court's premises


Simon Sirro, the inspector general of police, warned against the protests not to come near the Senior Resident Magistrate's court in Dar es Salaam and said the charges facing Mbowe have nothing to do with the constitution

#Tanzania: Mkuu wa Jeshi la Polisi #Tanzania awataka CHADEMA kuipa nafasi Mahakama iamue kesi ya Mbowe.
source : mwanzo tv

 

[bagamoyo]

05 August 2021​

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tanzania opposition leader court case postponed, protesters held​

Police arrest supporters of detained opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, main opposition party Chadema says.

Mbowe was due to appear in court on Thursday via a video link but the case was postponed to Friday because of connection problems, his defence lawyer Peter Kibatala said [File: Emmanuel Herman/Reuters]
5 Aug 2021



Tanzanian riot police have detained a number of protesting supporters of arrested opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, his party has said, as a “terrorism” case against him was postponed.
Mbowe and other officials from the main opposition party, Chadema, were arrested last month ahead of a planned conference to demand constitutional reforms.


KEEP READING
Tanzania opposition leader charged with ‘terror-related’ crimesAre democratic reforms at risk in Tanzania?Tanzanian opposition leader to face ‘terrorism’ charges: PartyTanzania’s Chadema party says leader Freeman Mbowe arrested
The 59-year-old has been charged with terrorism financing and conspiracy and is being held in a prison in the financial capital Dar es Salaam, in a case that has triggered concern among rights groups and some Western nations.
Mbowe was due to appear in court on Thursday via a video link but the case was postponed to Friday because of connection problems, his defence lawyer Peter Kibatala said. Mbowe is now expected to be brought to court on Friday.
Chadema supporters waving placards saying “Mbowe is not a terrorist” and “Free Freeman Mbowe” gathered outside the court.
Police responded by arresting protesters, the party said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear how many were detained.


State prosecutors say the terrorism charges against Mbowe did not relate to his planned activities in Mwanza, where he had been preparing for a meeting to discuss the constitution, but to alleged offences that occurred last year in a different part of Tanzania.

Mbowe’s arrest came four months after President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female leader, took office following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
There had been hopes that Hassan would usher in change from the dictatorial rule of her predecessor, nicknamed the “Bulldozer” for his uncompromising style.


On Wednesday, a top United States official expressed concern about Mbowe’s arrest.
“We have expressed our concern about the treatment and imprisonment of the opposition leader Mbowe,” Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, told reporters.
Nuland, on a tour of several African countries, was speaking at the end of a visit to Tanzania during which she met President Hassan, Tanzania’s foreign minister as well as opposition leaders.
Source : Tanzania opposition leader court case postponed, protesters held

 

[bagamoyo]

Tanzania Opposition Supporters Arrested as Leader’s Case Postponed ​

By Charles Kombe
August 5, 2021 09:59

Supporters of Tanzania's opposition party Chadema leader Mbowe holding a banner chant slogans, in Dar Es Salaam, Aug 5, 2021.
Tanzania's main opposition Chadema party held a street protest Thursday with its supporters calling for the government to release their leader, Freeman Mbowe.
Police arrested Mbowe in July ahead of a meeting on constitutional reforms, and they are holding him on terrorism-related charges. Critics said the arrest and charges show that President Samia Suluhu Hassan is continuing the same strong-arm tactics as her predecessor.

FILE PHOTO: Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan takes oath of office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania March 19, 2021.
Dozens of supporters of the main opposition party for democracy and progress, Chadema, appeared outside a court in Dar es Salaam Thursday with placards, chanting, “Mbowe is not a terrorist” and “Free Freeman Mbowe.”

An unspecified number of those protesters were arrested by a group of armed police who were deployed at the area to disperse the crowd.

Freeman Mbowe, the leader of the Chadema party, was arrested last month in the port city of Mwanza before his planned address at a meeting to discuss constitutional reforms.
Chadema General Secretary John Mnyika said none of the supporters arrested during the protests broke the law.
“We will follow up on those who have been arrested by police, but what we are insisting upon is that citizens show up Friday at 9 a.m. to demand accountability in the case,” Mnyika said.
Matias Andrew, a Chadema supporter, was at the scene.

“We know that he (Mbowe) has been arrested because he demanded a new constitution. There is nothing else. If they fear when we demand a new constitution, what do they fear?" Andrew asked, "if you want justice, why do you fear a new constitution while it comprises components that grant justice to every Tanzanian?”

Mbowe didn’t appear in court Thursday. Instead, authorities attempted to hear the case using videoconferencing, but technical problems ensued and the proceedings were postponed until Friday. Peter Kibatala is one of Mbowe’s five defense lawyers.

“There were connection challenges, so we have failed to accomplish the process because there has been poor communication between the video conference facilities here at Kisutu court and that of Ukonga prison," Kibatala said. "We have agreed that tomorrow [Friday] the accused will be brought to court.”

Other Chadema supporters, like Robert Mwasi, said the postponement was motivated by fear from authorities.

“Why did they postpone the case? I think it is because of fear since we as supporters have mobilized ourselves," Mwasi said. "We demonstrate to convey a message to the world, and they see if they try Mbowe it will be a challenge to them.”

The Chadema general secretary told reporters at the court that their party will follow up to learn the fate of their arrested supporters and insisted citizens appear Friday.

Simon Sirro, the inspector general of police, warned against the protests and said the charges facing Mbowe have nothing to do with the constitution.

Sirro said, “Before the general election last year, I said there are people plans to burn fuel stations and kill government officials, those who led that campaign have to know that Mbowe is a human being and we have taken him to the court, so let’s leave the matter to the authority."

Rights activists such as David Piniel say things may worsen under the leadership of President Hassan if she fails to negotiate with the opposition.

Piniel said, “This is an issue that can disrupt economic plans and other strategic plans in Tanzania. Especially considering the way the president is saying that she’s working on the economy first, but the economy cannot prosper if there are no effective ways to deal with these disputes with the opposition.”

President Hassan took over as Tanzanian president following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

At her first days in power, there had been hopes that she would mark a pause with Magufuli’s autocratic rule.

The U.S. undersecretary for political affairs, Victoria Nuland, met Wednesday with Hassan and later with opposition leaders, and said the United States will stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms.

Meanwhile, Mbowe continues to be held at a maximum-security prison in Dar es Salaam pending his trial Friday.

Source : Tanzania Opposition Supporters Arrested as Leader’s Case Postponed 

 

[bagamoyo]

August 5, 2021, 12:19 pm
Abuja, Nigeria

Tanzania opposition leader court case postponed, protesters held​

Tanzanian riot police have detained a number of protesting supporters of arrested opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, his party has said, as a “terrorism” case against him was postponed.
Mbowe and other officials from the main opposition party, Chadema, were arrested last month ahead of a planned conference to demand constitutional reforms.
The 59-year-old has been charged with terrorism financing and conspiracy and is being held in a prison in the financial capital Dar es Salaam, in a case that has triggered concern among rights groups and some Western nations.
Mbowe was due to appear in court on Thursday via a video link but the case was postponed to Friday because of connection problems, his defence lawyer Peter Kibatala said. Mbowe is now expected to be brought to court on Friday.
Chadema supporters waving placards saying “Mbowe is not a terrorist” and “Free Freeman Mbowe” gathered outside the court.
Police responded by arresting protesters, the party said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear how many were detained.

State prosecutors say the terrorism charges against Mbowe did not relate to his planned activities in Mwanza, where he had been preparing for a meeting to discuss the constitution, but to alleged offences that occurred last year in a different part of Tanzania.
Mbowe’s arrest came four months after President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female leader, took office following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.
There had been hopes that Hassan would usher in change from the dictatorial rule of her predecessor, nicknamed the “Bulldozer” for his uncompromising style.
On Wednesday, a top United States official expressed concern about Mbowe’s arrest.
“We have expressed our concern about the treatment and imprisonment of the opposition leader Mbowe,” Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, told reporters.
Nuland, on a tour of several African countries, was speaking at the end of a visit to Tanzania during which she met President Hassan, Tanzania’s foreign minister as well as opposition leaders.
Source : https://www.today.ng/news/africa/tanzania-opposition-leader-court-case-postponed-protesters-held-

Earlier on :
22 Jul 2021

Tanzania's Opposition Leader Freeman Mbowe Arrested | Breakfast Central



Tanzania’s main opposition party Chadema has announced the arrest of its leader Freeman Mbowe and other members before a planned conference to demand constitutional reforms.

Source : News Central TV

 

[bagamoyo]

US worried about the arrest of opposition members in Tanzania​

PUBLISHED AUGUST 5, 2021 AT 12:44 PM IN TANZANIA USA AND CANADA

The United States has expressed concern over the arrest of Tanzania's opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, accused of terrorism-related crimes. Mbowe, chairman of the Chadema party, was captured, along with 15 other members of the group, on July 21, in the northwestern port city of Mwanza, shortly before a public meeting organized by the opposition to ask the government to initiate constitutional reforms. .

"We have expressed our concern about the treatment and detention of opposition leader Mbowe," Victoria Nuland, Undersecretary for Political Affairs, told reporters. Nuland, on tour in several African countries, made these statements at the end of a visit to Tanzania, during which he met the new president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and her foreign minister, as well as opposition leaders.

Chadema says the arrest of his leader is proof that the new presidency is carrying on the same authoritarian government as the recently deceased former head of state, John Magufuli. The authorities, however, deny such allegations. Police Inspector General Simon Sirro told reporters on Monday August 2 to leave the judgment on Mbowe to the courts. "Wait for the court to decide," he said.

The NGO Amnesty International described the detentions as "arbitrary" and considered them part of a national campaign to counter political opposition. "The Tanzanian authorities must stop targeting the opposition and try to restrict the space in which they can operate," said Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty's deputy director for East Africa. “These arbitrary arrests and detentions show the Tanzanian authorities' blatant disregard for the rule of law and human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and association. These politically motivated arrests must stop, ”he added.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had encouraged the new president of Tanzania in a phone call on 6 July to protect the civil liberties of the population, while the spokesman for the State Department, Ned Price, stressed "the importance of guarantee a democratic, peaceful, free and prosperous future for all Tanzanians ”. At least 150 opposition leaders, according to the United Nations, were arrested after denouncing what they termed a vast campaign of fraud in the October 2020 elections, following which former President Magufuli and his deputy Hassan rose in power for a second term. Magufuli, deeply skeptical of COVID, died in March. Authorities said the cause of death was a heart problem, but his political opponents insisted he contracted the virus. In April, shortly after his accession to the presidency, Hassan turned to the opposition and promised to defend democracy and fundamental freedoms in the country.

Tanzania's first female president took office in March 2020. At the time of her appointment, many hoped that Hassan could usher in a change from the former president's "autocratic government", nicknamed the "Bulldozer" for the his uncompromising leadership model. In this regard, the former presidential candidate of Chadema, Tundu Lissu, who currently lives in self-imposed exile in Europe, wrote on Twitter that the rise of Hassan, following the death of Magufuli, had brought "the hope that the reign of the terror and the war on democracy was over ”. “Last night's arrest of President Mbowe and the leaders of Chadema disappointed any such hope. Now is the time for national protests and the international isolation of his regime, ”he said soon after in his post.
Source : USA preoccupati per l'arresto di membri dell'opposizione in Tanzania | Sicurezza internazionale | LUISS

 

[bagamoyo]

5 Aug 2021

Tanzania: Opposition leader's court hearing postponed due to internet connection issues



Mbowe had been due to appear in court in the financial capital Dar es Salaam on Thursday via a video link from prison but the case was postponed to Friday because of connection problems, his defence lawyer Peter Kibatala said.

'Politically-motivated' -

Mbowe's lawyer Kibatala told AFP he was "saddened by the massive use of force" against the protesters.

"All of them were very orderly. They were expressing solidarity and support," he said.

He added the charges against Mbowe "have no basis in law".

"They are opportunistic and probably politically motivated."

Mbowe's arrest came four months after Tanzania's first female president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, took office following the sudden death of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

There had been hopes that Hassan would usher in change from the autocratic rule of her predecessor, nicknamed the "Bulldozer" for his uncompromising style.

Tundu Lissu, who was Chadema's candidate in the presidential election last October but took refuge in Belgium after losing to Magufuli, said Thursday's arrests reflected a deepening slide into "dictatorship."

"Only thoroughgoing constitutional reforms will save Tanzania from impending political & social turmoil," Lissu said on Twitter.

Prosecutors say the terrorism charges against Mbowe do not relate to the constitutional reform forum Chadema had planned to hold in the northwestern city of Mwanza last month, but to alleged offences last year in another part of Tanzania.

Amnesty International has joined the calls for his release, saying the government must substantiate the charges against him.
Source : africanews

 

[bagamoyo]

Fri 6 August 2021
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tanzania opposition leader in court on terrorism charges​

Tanzanian opposition leader Freedom Mbowe appeared in court on Friday on terrorism charges that his supporters have denounced as a politically-motivated move to silence dissent.
Mr. Peter Kibatala, the defence attorney standing for mr. Freeman Mbowe and three other co-accused said the prosecutor read out new charges today. The state attorney plead with the judge to postpone the case as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) is still working on the case file . The court agreed to adjourned the case until 13 August 2021.
Source : millard ayo

More:
The trial of Freeman Mbowe :
Defense attorney Peter Kibatala briefing the press


Source : DARMPYA TV

 

[bagamoyo]

KITABU CHA MAISHA NA HARAKATI ZA FREEMAN AIKAEL MBOWE

 

[bagamoyo]

09 August 2021

President Samia Hassan first exclusive interview with BBC



In March, the 61-year-old was sworn in after her predecessor died in office.

She is currently Africa's only female political head of state. The Ethiopian presidency is a ceremonial role.

"Even some of my government workers dismissed me at first as just another woman, but they soon accepted my leadership," Ms Samia said.

The recent arrest of main opposition leader Freeman Mbowe on terrorism-related charges, has led some to wonder if President Samia is continuing the policies of her predecessor.

Freeman Mbowe had been a critic of the the late Tanzanian President John Magufuli

However, the Tanzanian leader defended the move saying Mr Mbowe's charges were "not political" because he had been under investigation since September last year.

"He was out of the country for a long time. I don't know why he fled but when he returned he started creating trouble with calls for a new constitution.

"I suspect that, knowing the charges he was facing, he calculated that if he was arrested he could claim that it was because he was pushing for a new constitution," the president said.

Mr Mbowe was detained after he had said the last election was fraudulent.

President Samia said she would "leave to the courts to decide if he's guilty or not guilty. .

The Tanzanian leader also said she was ready to meet with opposition members and other stakeholders to discuss changes to the constitution "when the time is right" but she did not commit to when that would happen.

President Samia also defended her government on claims that she has continued to enforce laws that limit media freedom.

She said journalists "were free to work as long as they followed the country's laws".

She also said that she listens to criticism on social media by opposition members and activists adding that she has got used to it, but "it helps us know what people are thinking, if we ban it we won't have that platform".

The president has taken a different approach to the pandemic than Magufuli, who was a well-known Covid sceptic.

Ms Samia said that there was an ongoing public campaign to increase vaccination uptake. The president said that she decided to get the jab publicly to reassure those who were worried about its safety.

"But my main worry now is not vaccine hesitancy but availability of vaccines, we have received donations from the US and acquired some from Covax facilities, but they will soon run out," Ms Samia told the BBC.

The change in policy has been widely welcomed, because her predecessor sowed doubt about the existence of the pandemic and rejected measures such as social distancing and mask wearing. Instead he asked people to pray and use steam inhalation.