Tanzanian Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu Convicted of Incitement, Cleared of Treason

The High Court in Dar es Salaam has found Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu guilty of incitement while acquitting him of treason charges that carried a potential death sentence. A panel of three judges delivered the verdict following a trial linked to remarks Lissu made during a campaign for electoral reform.

Lissu, the 58-year-old chairman of the main opposition Chadema party, has been held in custody since his arrest in April 2025. Representing himself during the trial, he rejected the charges and stated that the prosecution was politically motivated. He has been granted leave to appeal the decision before the Court of Appeal, Tanzania's highest judicial authority.

State prosecutors alleged that Lissu's public speeches and online statements under the slogan "No Reforms, No Election" were designed to incite public disruption and threaten government authority. Lissu argued that his remarks were part of a legitimate political campaign calling for structural changes, including independent electoral commission appointments and judicial review of presidential election results. Prosecutors took his statements out of context and failed to prove any crime had occurred, according to his defense.

The ruling follows the October 2025 presidential election, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan was re-elected with 98 percent of the vote after main opposition figures were excluded from the ballot. Post-election demonstrations resulted in security crackdowns that left at least 500 people dead, according to an official inquiry. President Samia has rejected allegations of political repression and attributed the unrest to foreign interference.

While in remand at Ukonga Prison in Dar es Salaam, Lissu engaged in two brief hunger strikes over restricted access to his legal representatives, a claim denied by prison officials. Last week, rights group Amnesty International stated that the government continued to use counterterrorism legislation to intimidate political opponents. Authorities did not respond to requests for comment regarding the organization's statement.

Lissu has been a key critic of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party since first entering parliament in 2010. After surviving a 2017 assassination attempt in Dodoma, he spent several years in exile before returning to contest the 2020 election and later assuming Chadema's leadership in early 2025.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com