Tanzanians raise US$100,000 for opposition fine

A crowdfunding campaign, launched to help pay a US$150,000 fine given to nine opposition politicians for holding a rally two years ago, has raised US$100,000 in 24 hours.

A female student was killed by a stray police bullet as the authorities tried to disperse the crowd at the rally.

Political gatherings and rallies were banned after President John Magufuli, nicknamed the ‘Bulldozer’, came to power in 2015.

An online crowdfunding campaign was launched after the opposition members, part of the Chadema party, were convicted on Tuesday.

The party tweeted a message of thanks on Wednesday afternoon, saying 234 million Tanzanian shillings had been raised since the appeal was launched.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee publicly criticised the “spurious charges” on Twitter, saying they were yet further evidence “of deteriorating political space [and] freedoms” in the country.

“The government’s efforts to criminalize the opposition further undermines the possibility of democratic polls later this year”, it added.

Magufuli’s government denies all such accusations.

Photo: AFP