By Basant El-Faramawy
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday for inciting people to disrupt last year’s election, but a three-judge panel in Dar es Salaam acquitted him of treason, ruling that prosecutors failed to prove he intended to intimidate the government.
Court ruling details
The treason charge carried a possible death sentence. Lissu, who chairs the Chadema party, denied wrongdoing, telling the court his speech was part of a legitimate campaign. Supporters chanted as he arrived at the hearing, his hair grown into dreadlocks during more than 18 months of detention.
Arrest and detention
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025, after addressing a rally calling for electoral reforms and charged with treason the following day. His detention was marked by disputes over access to his lawyers; he ended a brief hunger strike on October 27 after prison authorities allowed a private meeting with his younger brother, according to his lead lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala.
Election context
Lissu remained in custody during last year’s general election, in which presidential candidates from the two main opposition parties were barred from competing. The election triggered protests and deadly violence. An inquiry reported in April that at least 518 people had died, with its chairman, Mohamed Chande Othman, saying the toll was likely higher. The United Nations has called for an investigation into the killings and reports that police removed bodies from mortuaries. Chadema estimated about 2,000 people were killed, a figure the U.N. could not verify amid insecurity and an internet shutdown.
Personal circumstances
The judgment came days after the death of Lissu’s elder brother, Alute Mughwai Lissu. Lissu appealed to the court for release to attend the burial but was returned to prison after sentencing. He survived being shot 16 times in a 2017 assassination attempt and has spent periods in exile citing threats to his life.
