EU, US urge probe after Tanzanian cleric urging reform attacked

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DAR ES SALAAM - An attack on one of Tanzania's leading clerics, who had advocated for electoral reforms, was condemned by the embassies of the European Union and United States on Friday.

The east African country is holding presidential and parliamentary elections in October, with the opposition saying they are facing increased repression as they call for reforms.

Charles Kitima, the secretary general of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), was hospitalized after being attacked by unknown assailants on Wednesday night, police said in a statement.

The TEC has recently urged the government to carry out reforms, and criticized the recent arrest of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

In a post on X, the US Embassy said it was praying for Kitima's recovery, and it was "condemning all acts of violence, especially those that aim to silence calls for justice, reconciliation, and human rights".

The EU in Tanzania said it was "deeply saddened" by the attack, and called for a thorough investigation.

Lissu, leader of the opposition Chadema party, was imprisoned last month and charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty.

His party was also disqualified from the elections after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct.

The party had said it would boycott the polls without reforms, including a more independent Electoral Commission and clearer rules to ensure candidates are not removed from ballots.

It accuses President Samia Suluhu Hassan of returning to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

Rights groups and Western governments are increasingly critical of the renewed repression, which has included the arrests of Chadema politicians as well as abductions and murders of opposition figures.