A party official says the head of Tanzania’s main opposition party was arrested Friday in Dar es Salaam, after twice failing to appear in court to face charges of illegal protest.
Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe was arrested at Kisutu court alongside fellow opposition MP Esther Matiko, where they and seven others were attending a trial hearing for their participation in a February protest during which a 22-year-old student was killed by a stray bullet fired by police.
The magistrate ordered Mbowe’s detention after he failed to appear before the court twice, on November 1 and 8.
Six policemen were arrested but were subsequently released with prosecutors saying blame lay with protest organisers, rather than security forces.