Mazrui, 30 others missing, says ACT-Wazalendo party

Dar es Salaam. It has been three days since opposition ACT-Wazalendo’s Deputy Secretary General (Zanzibar) Nassor Ahmed Mazrui was reportedly arrested by ‘authorities;’ yet, his condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

Speaking to The Citizen, the ACT-Wazalendo public relations secretary, Salum Bimani, said they were also looking for 30 other party members who were reportedly apprehended by the security forces.

“We have not seen or heard from Mazrui since he was taken three days ago. We are also looking for 30 other members. We don’t know their whereabouts. We’ve visited nearly all police stations, and they keep giving us the same answer: they were not there,” he said.

He said the party appeals to the international community, particularly the African Unity (AU), the United Nations (UN) and human rights defenders to intervene and pressure authorities from illegally holding its members before, during and after this year’s elections.

Mr Bimani added: “There has been a lot of human rights abuse here, some members who were arrested by the police have been subjected to inhuman treatment”.

According to him, Mr Ismail Jussa Ladhu, a senior ACT-Wazalendo (Zanzibar) official, who was detained on Wednesday - and led away by security officers when he attempted to go and witness vote-counting - has been hospitalized after sustaining injuries including broken limbs.

Through its twitter account, ACT-Wazalendo showed pictures of Mr Jussa in a hospital bed with visible marks of injuries.

“This is how @IsmailJussa was beaten by security forces yesterday. This is inhuman and this cannot be accepted to those who love humanity. We call on the international community to watch and act over the Magufuli regime,” the party tweeted through their Zanzibar wing handle @ACTZanzibar.

Seif Shariff Hamad

Yesterday, ACT-Wazalendo Zanzibar presidential candidate Seif Shariff Hamad reported to the police as required of him by the law enforcers.

“He has reported - and, as we are talking, he is still there,” ACT-Wazalendo public relations secretary Bimani said on Friday.

Mr Hamad and Prof Omar Fakih were arrested by the police on Thursday, October 29 in the morning soon after he had concluded a press conference in Zanzibar.

The arrest came after preliminary results from the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC) showed that the CCM Zanzibar presidential candidate, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, was in the lead, according to tallying by the Zanzibar Electoral Commission (ZEC).

The police did not give details of the arrest; but, in a video posted on social media on Thursday, Mr Hamad – who is ACT chairman - was calling on Zanzibaris to meet at Michenzani Street in Unguja to oppose what the party claimed to be sabotage of the elections.

“In claiming this, I call upon all citizens in Unguja - everyone - to do whatever they can to be at Michenzani right now, without delay. Whether we as leaders will die or be arrested, we are ready for anything,” he said.

Thursday was the second time for Mr Hamad to be arrested by the police in the space of just three days.

He was first arrested on October 27 in the morning when he went to the Garagara polling station in Unguja. October 27, 2020 was designated by ZEC as a day of casting votes by security forces and ZEC officials.