Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has announced the lifting of the ban on political rallies that her predecessor John Magufuli imposed in 2016 on the opposition.
“I am here to announce that the ban on political gatherings has now been lifted,” said the President, during a meeting with heads of political parties in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam. “You are free to criticize the government,” she added.
Amnesty International welcomed the decision, saying that “while the ban should not have taken place in the first place, we applaud the Tanzanian government’s decision to lift the ban on political rallies in the country, which has been used in the past to arbitrarily arrest and detain prominent opposition politicians.”
“It is a welcome step in the right direction, and we urge the Tanzanian authorities to move towards greater protection of human rights,” she added.
