Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was released on bail Sunday evening after a brief detention and interrogation by police.

Lissu was caught in Arusha, the country's capital, for convening an illegal assembly for his Chadema party without a permit.

He was arrested with his associates, including his bodyguard and three other party leaders.

PHOTO | COURTESY Tundu Lissu

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According to reports, he staged demonstrations in the Ngorongoro conservation area and then near the northern town of Karatu, where he was apprehended.

Lissu told the reporters shortly after his release that he had been ordered to appear at the police headquarters in Arusha today, September 11, to record a statement.

Lissu has been holding political rallies nationwide since his return from exile in January.

PHOTO | COURTESY Tundu Lissu

At those rallies, Lissu criticized President Samia Suluhu Hassan's administration for handling a contentious port management deal and human rights issues.

After Hassan overturned a six-year prohibition on political rallies, Lissu returned from exile. He had been in Belgium, where he had fled after losing the presidential election to John Magufuli in 2020.