Police in Tanzania released four senior opposition leaders who were arrested for their alleged role in deadly protests against last month’s general election, their party said late on Monday.

 Police in Tanzania have released four senior opposition leaders who were arrested in connection with protests that turned deadly following last month’s general election, the opposition party said late Monday.

According to the party’s statement, the leaders were detained last week on allegations of organizing or encouraging the demonstrations. Authorities had accused them of inciting unrest after the election results were announced.

The released leaders have not yet been formally charged, and police have not commented publicly on the decision to free them. The opposition maintains that the protests were peaceful and claims the arrests were politically motivated.

Human rights organizations have called on Tanzanian authorities to respect the rights to free expression and assembly as the post-election situation continues to draw international attention.