Six Chadema leaders to spend Easter behind bars.
Six Tanzanian opposition leaders will spend the Easter holidays in remand after a Dar es Salaam magistrate ordered that they be produced in court on Tuesday for signing of their bail papers.
The Chadema party leaders, including the chairman Freeman Mbowe, are charged with sedition and incitement to violence.
They are also charged with unlawful assembly and protesting in February that led to the death of a female student, who was killed by a stray bullet, while police tried to break up the demonstration.
Those charged alongside Mr Mbowe are the party’s secretary-general Vincent Mashinji, deputy secretary-general for Mainland John Mnyika, deputy secretary-general for Zanzibar Salum Mwalimu, and MPs Peter Msigwa and Esther Matiko.
They first appeared before magistrate Willbard Mashauri at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and were detained at the Segerea remand prison.
They did not however appear in court on Thursday for the bail hearing with the remand chief claiming all prison vehicles that could have ferried the accused to court were faulty.
Nonetheless, the magistrate granted the Chadema officials Tsh20 million ($8,800) bail each with at least two guarantors. They are also required to report to the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam every Thursday.
However, the prosecution said it will appeal the bail ruling.
Meanwhile, some opposition members marched to the European Union (EU) Delegation Office in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday to seek international support in pushing for democratic freedom in Tanzania.
The opposition, civil society and church have decried increased violation of democratic rights since President John Magufuli took office in November 2015.