Groups demand release of activists

Dar es Salaam. Human rights activists have demanded that police either charge or release eight people arrested earlier in the month for allegedly passing on “sensitive information” to a Swedish blogger.

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the activists said four of the eight people, including a lawyer, were still in custody, while the other four were released on police bond.  They were arrested  in Loliondo District.

The activists have threatened to file a case against police if they would not have released the suspects by today afternoon.

The eight have been accused of passing on sensitive information to Ms Susana Nurduland, a blogger based in Sweden.  They deny the allegation.

The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), Tanzania Pastoralists Association (TPA) and National Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (Nacongo) criticised police for arresting and detaining a Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) lawyer based in Arusha, Mr Ngalunde Shilinde, who was sent to Loliondo to represent the suspects.

THRDC national coordinator Onesmo Olengurumwa said it was illegal to detain someone for more than 24 hours without sending him/her to court.

He added that it also was against the principles of human rights and natural justice to deny people legal representation.

The Director of the Tanzania Widows Association (Tawia), Ms Rose Sarwatt, asked Chief Justice Mohammed Chande Othman to intervene in the matter. She also  asked the CJ to appoint a team to investigate what she said was a growing trend of denying people legal representation.

Ms Sarwatt cited as an example the Zanzibar Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Salum Msangi, whom she accused of barring lawyers from representing people who have been arrested in Zanzibar for alleged incitement.

“This trend of barring lawyers from representing people didn’t start in Loliondo.  It started last month in Zanzibar, and we are appealing to the Chief Justice  to intervene,” she said.

Arusha Regional Police Commander Liberatus Sabas declined to comment yesterday, saying he was on leave.

But the head of Operations and Training in the Police Force, Mr Nsato Mssanzya, told The Citizen from Dodoma that he was not aware of the matter.

“I’m not aware, but police are supposed to charge suspects within 24 hours of their arrest, although there are exceptions. It should also be noted that lawyers are not above the law and can also be arrested if there are sufficient grounds for doing so,” he said.