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Tanzanian lawyer Edward Heche has called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the police force to allow peaceful protests scheduled for Monday, September 23, 2024, in Dar es Salaam. The protests, organized by CHADEMA, aim to demand accountability and address recent cases of abductions and killings of innocent citizens. Heche emphasized that the protesters have no ill intentions toward the government but rather seek justice and a nation where the rule of law prevails.
Heche further urged the police to refrain from using excessive force during the demonstrations, as the participants are advocating for responsibility in governance. He stated that the energy and resources used to deploy large numbers of police officers in Dar es Salaam could have been better directed toward searching for missing CHADEMA members, including Deusdedith Soka, Frank Mbise, Jacob Mlay, and others, who have been missing for over a month.
Mh Rais @SuluhuSamia watu wanaondamana kesho wana nia njema na nchi hii wana nia njema na uongozi wako wanataka kufuta doa hili kwenye tenure yako hawana jambo baya wanatamani uongoze Nchi ambayo haki imetamalaki Wanapinga #mauwaji #utekaji na kupotezwa kwa raia wasio na hatia.
— Edward Heche (@heche_edward) September 22, 2024
He criticized the government’s prioritization of police deployment over finding these individuals, noting that if efforts had been focused on locating the missing CHADEMA members, the protests would not have been necessary. According to Heche, the root cause of the demonstrations is the failure to find these missing persons, and he suggested that the police presence in the city could be redirected to this urgent task.
Read More: CHADEMA Sets Nationwide Protests
Heche shared these remarks through a post on his personal social media platform, X, on Sunday, September 22, 2024, addressing concerns surrounding the upcoming CHADEMA protests. The police have imposed restrictions on the demonstrations, raising tensions as the event approaches.
