Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu convicted of incitement, acquitted of treason

Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been convicted of incitement by a three-judge panel at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, in a case that has drawn international concern over political freedoms in the East African nation. The 58-year-old Chadema party chairman, who has been detained since April 2024, was acquitted of the more serious charge of treason, which carries the death penalty.

The conviction stems from remarks Lissu made while campaigning for electoral reforms ahead of the October 2025 general election under the slogan "No Reforms, No Election." Prosecutors argued his statements, also circulated online, were intended to incite the public to disrupt the vote and threaten the government. Lissu, a lawyer who represented himself at trial, maintained his comments were part of a legitimate political campaign for constitutional and electoral reform and that prosecutors had taken his words out of context.

Chadema's reform demands included independent appointment of electoral commissioners, freedom for all parties to campaign without intimidation, removal of government-appointed district chiefs as returning officers, unhindered observation of vote counting by party agents, and the ability to challenge presidential results in court.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the 2025 election with 98% of the vote after Lissu and another leading challenger were excluded from the ballot. The opposition dismissed the result as a "mockery" of democracy. The government has repeatedly denied targeting its opponents.

While in remand at Ukonga Prison, Lissu staged two brief hunger strikes, alleging he was denied access to lawyers and relatives and that guards listened to privileged legal consultations. Prison authorities denied the allegations.

The case has attracted scrutiny from rights groups. Amnesty International recently accused the government of "weaponising counterterrorism laws to silence critics and instil fear" following the election. Last year's post-election protests and security crackdown left at least 500 people dead according to an official inquiry, though opposition groups say the toll was higher and have demanded an independent investigation. President Samia, 66, has defended the election as fair and transparent, blaming foreigners for the unrest and establishing a new commission of inquiry.

Lissu, a long-time critic of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, first became an MP in 2010. He survived an assassination attempt in 2017, spent years in exile, and returned to Tanzania in 2023 after Samia lifted a ban on opposition rallies — a move initially seen as signaling political openness. Relations deteriorated ahead of the 2025 election, and Lissu became Chadema's national chairman in January 2025. He has leave to appeal the conviction at the Court of Appeal, the country's highest court.

Source: BBC World.