Tanzania: Opposition leader Tundu Lissu jailed for four years

While the verdict removed the threat of a death sentence, judges convicted Lissu of an offense that was not among the charges he faced. Judges found that Chadema leader Lissu's statements about blocking the election were intended to disrupt the vote and encourage violence.

Unusual conviction

Lissu disputed his conviction on a charge different from the treason accusation he had faced. "I was not charged with incitement but you judges are convicting me with it just to impress the person who gives you the titles," he said, apparently referring to President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Political unrest

Lissu was arrested in April 2025 over a speech in which prosecutors said he told supporters the opposition would "block the election" and "mobilize rebellion." He has already spent 19 months in jail. His arrest, alleged abductions of government critics, and Chadema's exclusion from the October 2025 election helped drive protests across the country.

Hundreds died as police opened fire on protesters in several cities. A commission appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan reported at least 518 people had been killed, blaming protesters for the violence.

International criticism

British and European Union lawmakers described the case as politically motivated and called for Lissu's immediate release. "The use of capital punishment against a political opponent risks turning the justice system into an instrument of political repression," they wrote to Hassan.

Lissu, 58, has been repeatedly arrested for opposing the government. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, which he believes was politically motivated.