Tanzania: President Hassan Lifts the Blanket Ban on Political Assemblies

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Responding to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s announcement that she is lifting the punitive political rallies blanket ban imposed on opposition political parties, Amnesty International Regional Researcher for Tanzania and Uganda, Roland Ebole said:

“Though the ban should never have been made in the first place, we applaud the Tanzanian government’s decision to lift the blanket ban on political rallies in the country that has in the past been used to arbitrarily arrest and detain prominent opposition politicians who organized rallies.

We applaud the decision to lift the blanket ban on political rallies that has in the past been used to arbitrarily arrest and detain prominent opposition politicians who organized rallies

Roland Ebole, Researcher, Tanzania and Uganda

“It is a welcome step in the right direction, and we urge Tanzanian authorities to go further and work towards greater protection of human rights, including by repealing or amending the Political Parties Act to remove all obstacles to rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression.

Participating in, and organizing, assemblies is a right, not a privilege, and does not require state authorization

Roland Ebole

“States have an obligation to protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, including spontaneous assemblies. Participating in, and organizing, assemblies is a right, not a privilege, and does not require state authorization.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.