Tanzania arrests opposition party leader, revokes newspaper licence

FILE PHOTO: Opposition politician Zitto Kabwe, leader of The Alliance for Change and Transparency sits inside the Kisutu Resident Magistrate court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman/File Photo

Tanzanian opposition party leader Zitto Kabwe and eight other members were arrested on Tuesday for holding an illegal assembly, the party said, accusing the government of repression ahead of October’s presidential election.

Dorothy Semu, vice chair of the Wazalendo Alliance for Transparency and Change (ACT Wazalendo), one of the fastest growing opposition parties, said Kabwe and the others had been arrested in Kilwa district, southern Tanzania, as they attended an internal meeting.