NAIROBI, July 9 (Reuters) – Tanzanian police have arrested 130 people for “inciting criminal acts”, they said on Thursday, as part of efforts to contain dissent after a ban on all political rallies.
• Police said in a statement that they were working to track down other suspects.
• Before the ban on rallies, announced by the interior minister on June 26, protesters had planned to gather on the July 7 public holiday to call for democratic reforms and justice for people killed in election violence last year.
• Heavy security deployments prevented the protests from happening.
• A government-appointed commission of inquiry said in April that at least 518 people were killed in the election violence, which was driven by the exclusion of leading opposition candidates.
• Tanzanian authorities have denied allegations by human rights groups that the security services used excessive force during the election unrest.
(Writing by Vincent Mumo Nzilani;Editing by Alexander Winning and Barbara Lewis)
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