Tanzania’s political climate has grown increasingly tense after the arrest of senior opposition leader John Heche, deputy chairperson of the main opposition party Chadema, just days before the country’s general election next week Wednesday.

Heche was detained outside the High Court in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday while attempting to attend the treason trial of Chadema leader Tundu Lissu, who has been in custody since April. The party accused the government of orchestrating a campaign to detain its top officials until after the polls. “There is a deliberate plan to silence opposition voices before election day,” Chadema said in a statement.

Authorities have not commented on Heche’s arrest, though the party alleges he is being transported more than 1 300 kilometres to the northern town of Tarime. This is Heche’s second detention in a week after he was briefly held on Saturday while allegedly attempting to cross into Kenya to attend the funeral of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga. Immigration officials claimed he tried to cross illegally, an accusation Chadema dismissed as politically motivated.

The incident adds to growing alarm over human rights abuses in Tanzania. Earlier this month, a former ambassador and outspoken government critic Humphrey Polepole was reportedly abducted from his home in Dar es Salaam, with relatives saying blood was found at the scene.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who succeeded John Magufuli in 2021 and is now seeking her first full term, faces mounting criticism for curbing political freedoms. With Chadema barred from the ballot and ACT-Wazalendo’s candidate Luhaga Mpina disqualified, the election appears set to proceed without major opposition participation.