Tundu Lissu convicted of incitement but cleared of treason in Dar es Salaam

Tundu Lissu, the leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chadema, has been convicted of incitement by a High Court in Dar es Salaam. While the court found him guilty of inciting unrest through his calls for electoral reform and a potential poll boycott, it acquitted him of the far more serious charge of treason due to a lack of evidence. The acquittal is a significant development, as a treason conviction could have carried the death penalty. Instead, the court cited an intent to disrupt the upcoming elections, leaving the 58-year-old politician facing a potential five-year prison sentence or a fine.

Prosecutors had accused Lissu of using his platform to destabilize the country ahead of the October 2025 general elections. Lissu, who has been detained since April 2025, has maintained that the charges are entirely politically motivated, designed to sideline him from the democratic process. During the trial, he argued that his comments were part of legitimate advocacy for electoral transparency and reform. Following the verdict, authorities heightened security in the capital amid concerns that the conviction could trigger protests among opposition supporters.

This legal battle is the latest chapter in Lissu’s turbulent political career. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, an event that forced him into years of medical treatment and exile. Although he returned to Tanzania in 2023 following a brief period of political softening under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, his recent arrest and conviction suggest a return to the harsh crackdowns that have historically characterized the country's treatment of dissent.

The trial has attracted intense international scrutiny, with lawmakers from the United Kingdom and Europe condemning the proceedings as a misuse of the judicial system. Human rights activists and legal experts have expressed concern that the conviction reflects a broader deterioration of political freedoms in Tanzania. As the country moves toward the 2025 elections, the sidelining of its most prominent opposition figure is expected to heighten political tensions and raise further questions about the legitimacy of the upcoming polls.