Tanzania’s Opposition Party, CHADEMA, has issued a scathing statement to the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government, citing widespread suppression of democratic competition and human rights abuses in the country.
In a statement addressed to the 39th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, John Heche, Vice-Chairman of CHADEMA, Tanzania Mainland, the party accuses the government of deliberately stifling opposition, suppressing independent media, and criminalizing dissent, culminating in the detention of its Chairman, Tundu Lissu, on treason charges.
Lissu, who has been detained for over 250 days, faces the possibility of capital punishment for demanding free and fair elections. CHADEMA describes the conditions of his detention as raising grave human rights concerns, citing prolonged isolation, restricted access to legal counsel and visitors, severe limitations on communication, and punitive confinement conditions that undermine human dignity.
The statement draws uncomfortable comparisons to apartheid-era detention practices in South Africa, suggesting that Lissu’s treatment is reminiscent of the conditions endured by political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela. “These conditions evoke painful historical memories,” the statement reads.
CHADEMA also questions the legitimacy of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s attendance at the AU Assembly, citing widespread reports of killings, enforced disappearances, and mass arrests of protesters. The party argues that her presence sends a “deeply troubling signal” and undermines the AU’s commitment to human rights and democracy.
“If leaders accused of presiding over grave human rights violations and a fundamentally compromised electoral process are received without scrutiny, what message does this send to the people of Africa?, What message does it send to the youth of Tanzania who protested peacefully and were met with bullets? What message does it send to families who lost loved ones?” Asked Heche in his hard-hitting statement.
The opposition party is calling on the AU to take decisive action, including publicly addressing the credibility crisis surrounding Tanzania’s October 29 general election. CHADEMA alleges that the electoral environment was shaped by the closure of political space, suppression of independent media, arrest and prosecution of opposition leaders, and criminalization of dissent.
The party demands that the AU support an independent, transparent, and international investigation into reported killings, disappearances, and excessive force used against protesters. “The African Union is bound by the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union,” the statement reads. “These are not ceremonial texts. They are binding commitments.”
CHADEMA also urges the AU to reject the binding commitments of the AU, affirming that political legitimacy comes from the people’s will, not coercion or fear. “The people of Tanzania – and the people of Africa – are watching,” the statement concludes.
“History will record not only who attended this Assembly, but what this Assembly chose to tolerate,” said Heche. “The African Union was founded to protect African peoples, not to shield leaders from accountability.”
As the AU Assembly gathers, CHADEMA’s statement serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of upholding democratic principles and human rights in Africa. The party’s demands are clear: address the credibility crisis, investigate human rights abuses, reject treason laws, and affirm the people’s will as the source of legitimacy.
