An unprecedented victory for the Civic United Front...

An unprecedented victory for the Civic United Front (CUF) occurred when the Zanzibar government unexpectedly withdrew a treason charge against 18 members of the opposition party. The suspects, two of whom were women, had been in detention for over two years and faced a mandatory death sentence if found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government of Zanzibar. "There were no substance in the allegations and the treason proceedings were merely an attempt by the government to intimidate and suppress its opponents" Amnesty International said. It has a quasi-autonomous status within the United Republic of Tanzania.