NAIROBI, Kenya
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Tuesday that at least 150 members of Tanzania's opposition had been arrested over the country's fiercely disputed elections.
Arrests of opposition leaders and followers began on the eve of the October 28 poll, she said in a statement, citing reports from the country.
"At least 18 reportedly remain in custody," she said, adding that she was disturbed by accounts of continued intimidation and harassment.
"The tense situation in the country will not be defused by silencing those who challenge the outcome of the elections, but rather through a participatory dialogue," Bachelet warned.
"I urge the Tanzanian authorities to respect and facilitate exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly."
According to the leader of Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT-Wazalendo), Zitto Kabwe, 13 unarmed residents of Pemba and Zanzibar were killed by security personnel between October 27 and 29.
Unarmed residents of Zanzibar being beaten by police
Zitto who is an opposition leader said his party Deputy Secretary General, Nassor Mazrui and other seven leaders of the party have been detained without trial at an unknown place in Zanzibar for 14 days now.
The Secretary General of main opposition party (CHADEMA), John Mnyika, said that the police has arrested hundreds of members and leaders in various places in Tanzania.
"My party leaders have been arrested in Njombe, Mbeya, Singida, Tarime, Arusha, Moshi, Morogoro and other places." He said adding that most of them are being charge with robbery simple because they opposed the current regime.
President John Magufuli won a crushing 84 percent of the vote, in an election that the opposition says was stained by massive fraud.is Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party took 97 percent of the parliament seats up for grabs.
An observer from the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa said it noted oppression, and the opposition had been targeted in a way that challenges the fairness of the vote.
Magufuli's main challenger, Tundu Lissu, officially won just 13 percent of the vote, while popular opposition MPs lost seats in key strongholds.
The opposition called for street demonstrations against the results, but their leaders were swiftly detained and a heavy security presence deterred potential protest action.
Lissu who was himself detained and questioned after dismissing the election as a sham, said Tuesday he was leaving Tanzania for Belgium, but did not specify why or for how long.
"I am on my way to Belgium. At the airport right now," Lissu told AFP in a brief comment on WhatsApp.
Lissu had only returned to Tanzania in July after three years in Belgium recovering from 16 bullet wounds sustained in what he said was a politically-motivated assassination attempt.
US Ambassador Donald Wright said Lissu had safely departed Tanzania "to seek medical treatment abroad".
"Wishing him good health and a quick return so that he can continue to play a vital role in Tanzania’s political life," he posted on Twitter.
On Sunday, a former opposition legislator, Godbless Lema, sought refuge in Kenya with his wife and children, his lawyer said.
He was arrested by local police and then released.
"I received information that my life was in danger," Lema told reporters as he left the police station in Kajiado, near the border.
"I could not ignore this information, because I have buried many of my friends and others are still missing. I acted fast and fled."
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