DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania has charged six opposition leaders with sedition and incitement to violence, a move branded by critics of the government as an effort to silence dissent. Freeman Mbowe, chairman of the main opposition CHADEMA party, was charged with five other senior party leaders at a court in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, court documents showed.
The opposition leaders, four of whom are members of parliament, were detained at a remand prison until a court rules on their bail applications on Thursday. They were also charged with taking part in an illegal demonstration in Dar es Salaam in February that led to the death of a student, who was allegedly killed by a stray bullet while police engaged in a street battle with rioters.