Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu charged with treason amid election tensions

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Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party Chadema, has been charged with treason for comments he made last week that prosecutors claim incited the public to launch a rebellion and disrupt the upcoming elections. The charges, which carry the death penalty, have sparked renewed attention on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record as she seeks re-election.

Lissu, who was the runner-up in the 2020 presidential race, was arrested on Wednesday after a rally in Ruvuma, a region in southwestern Tanzania. At his court appearance in Dar es Salaam, he was not allowed to enter a plea on the treason charge and was remanded in custody. He did, however, plead not guilty to a separate charge of publishing false information. He is scheduled to return to court on April 24.

Lissu’s lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, argued that the charges were politically motivated, stating, “You cannot separate these charges from politics. He was doing campaigns to educate Chadema supporters, but they have turned it into charges.”

Chadema has announced it will boycott the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections unless significant electoral reforms are made, claiming the current process heavily favors the ruling party. The elections are set to take place in late October, though no official date has been set.

The charges against Lissu stem from comments he made in Dar es Salaam on April 3. According to the charge sheet, Lissu stated, “It is true we say we will prevent the election. We will inspire rebellion. That is the way to get change. So we are going to spoil this election. We are going to really disrupt … We are going to spoil it very badly.”

Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 in which he was shot 16 times, has long been an outspoken critic of the government. President Hassan, who received praise for easing political repression after taking office in 2021, has faced growing criticism from human rights groups over arrests and alleged abductions and killings of political opponents. While she has pledged to respect human rights and ordered investigations into reported abductions, no arrests have been made in connection with the attack on Lissu, which was condemned by her predecessor, the late President John Magufuli.