In brief
Tanzania’s opposition figure Tundu Lissu received a four‑year prison sentence on 6 November for incitement after a 576‑day court case that began as a treason trial. The High Court of Dar es Salaam Sub‑Registry found Lissu’s remarks aimed at preventing the 2025 general election to be criminal under Section 390 of the Penal Code. Police enforced a tight security perimeter around the court and key streets of Dar es Salaam during the sentencing.
On 6 November, Tanzania’s High Court in Dar es Salaam handed former opposition leader Tundu Lissu a four‑year sentence for incitement after a prolonged trial that had originally run under the charge of treason. The ruling, issued at the Sub‑Registry of the High Court, concluded that Lissu’s statements urging the public to disrupt the national election in 2025 were criminal under Section 390 of the Penal Code.
The case started on 9 April 2025, when Lissu was arrested in Mbinga District of the Ruvuma Region. Because treason is a non‑bailable offense in Tanzania, he remained in custody for the entire 576‑day process. He was the national chairman of the opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA).
Although the court initially faced a treason charge, it acquitted Lissu of that most serious allegation after finding the prosecution could not prove he intended to intimidate the government through his statements. The judge then applied Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a conviction on a lesser offense even if it was not separately included in the original charge. Accordingly, the panel convicted Lissu for incitement.
High Court Judge Dunstan Ndunguru read the judgment, noting that the prosecution had called 17 witnesses while Lissu had testified in his defense. He said the court had considered evidence from both sides before deciding that the remarks he made were indeed incitement. Some prosecution witnesses stated that Lissu’s comments had influenced them to participate in actions aimed at disrupting the election.
Security forces were heavily present in the city during the proceedings. Armed police officers patrolled major roads and occupied strategic positions along routes leading to the court. Police reinforced key junctions including Posta, Kisutu, Ubungo, Mwenge, and Buguruni, as well as Bus Rapid Transit stations. Despite the firm police presence, supporters of CHADEMA and members of the public gathered around the courthouse, and traffic remained orderly.
A BBC article clarified a prior mistake, correcting an earlier report that Lissu had been convicted of inciting treason. The BBC noted that the court’s final decision was for incitement, not treason, and summarized the key points of the judgment as reported by Xinhua.
In a statement from the court, Lissu denied that his remarks were treasonous, insisting they represented legitimate political discourse. He acknowledged making the statements but rejected the prosecution’s interpretation that they should be treated as crimes against the state.
With the sentence announced, Lissu will serve his four‑year term in a Tanzanian prison. The ruling marks a significant moment in Tanzania’s political landscape, as the opposition party had long faced legal challenges for its criticism of the ruling establishment.
