DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 19 -- IN Tanzania, arrest is rarely dramatic. It may begin with a request to report to a police post, a quiet knock at the door or a stop on the road. Before long, you are seated on a bench at the station. Your phone is taken.

Hours pass. Family members start asking questions and then one question becomes urgent: “Can they give bail?”

That question matters because the law does not allow people to be held indefinitely. Under the Criminal Procedure Act, a person who has been arrested must generally be brought before a court within 24 to 48 hours, depending on circumstances.

Where that does not happen, bail becomes not just relevant, but necessary. Remand is the exception. Liberty is the rule.

What bail me...