Tanzania court sentences opposition leader Tundu Lissu to four years for incitement

Tanzanian High Court judges have handed prominent opposition figure Tundu Lissu a four-year prison term for inciting unrest, while clearing him of a treason allegation that could have carried capital punishment.

A three-judge bench sitting in Dar es Salaam determined that the 58-year-old leader of the Chadema party had pushed followers to disrupt the contested 2025 general election. The panel cited his political slogan, "No Reforms, No Election," as the legal basis for the incitement conviction, stating that broadcasting those remarks was meant to derail the vote.

Lissu, who acted as his own legal counsel throughout the trial, rejected the ruling and maintained that the case was driven by political motives. Addressing the court, he protested that he had only faced treason charges and argued that the judges had fabricated the incitement offence under political pressure. Because incitement allows for bail, Lissu indicated he would seek temporary release while taking his challenge to the Court of Appeal. If the four-year penalty remains in place, it will disqualify him from participating in the 2030 general election.

The veteran politician had been held in remand custody since April 2025, several months before the national ballot. During his detention at Ukonga Prison, he initiated two short hunger strikes over restrictions on family and legal visits, and alleged that guards eavesdropped on consultations with his lawyers—allegations prison officials denied.

Lissu had used his pre-election campaign to demand broad changes to the electoral framework, including the independent selection of election commissioners, permission for party representatives to scrutinise ballot counting, an end to administrative officials serving as returning officers, and the right to dispute presidential contest outcomes in court. Prosecutors claimed his statements threatened the state and amounted to treason, but the court ruled the prosecution had failed to establish an essential component of that charge.

Human rights organisations strongly criticised the outcome. Amnesty International described the verdict as a travesty of justice and argued that Lissu should never have faced trial.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan secured re-election in October 2025 with 98 percent of ballots cast, after top rivals such as Lissu were excluded. The vote triggered major demonstrations and a security crackdown that an official inquiry reported left at least 500 individuals dead, though opposition figures say the true number was higher. The government has denied targeting political opponents and dismissed accusations of systemic repression.

Lissu previously survived a 2017 assassination bid in Dodoma and spent extended periods in exile before returning to Tanzania when public rally bans were removed. His latest conviction has intensified international unease regarding civil liberties and the state of political opposition in the country.