(Bloomberg) -- Tanzanian authorities freed the main opposition party leader from prison eight months after he was jailed on terrorism and economic sabotage charges, a move that could help defuse political tensions in the East African nation.
High Court Judge Joachim Tiganga ordered Freeman Mbowe, the chairman of the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo party, to be freed after the director of public prosecutions said they would discontinue the case against him. Three of his co-accused were also released.
The scrapping of the charges comes a year after Samia Suluhu Hassan was appointed president in place of John Magufuli, who died in office and took a hard line against his opponents. Hassan, who has pledged to respect human rights and been on a drive to court foreign investment, has faced mounting pressure to secure Mbowe's release.
The opposition leader was arrested in July last year while campaigning for constitutional changes. Hassan has said that while she is open to political reforms, for now her priority is to fix the coronavirus-battered economy.
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