Reuters reported Friday that a Tanzanian court acquitted opposition leader Tundu Lissu of treason but convicted him of incitement, sentencing him to four years in prison in a case tied to election unrest.
Prosecutors tied the charge to remarks Lissu made in April 2025. They alleged he told supporters to “block the election” and “mobilise rebellion.” Lissu denied the allegations, saying his comments did not break the law and that the case targeted him for political reasons.
Reuters identified Lissu as chair of CHADEMA, Tanzania’s largest opposition party. EconoTimes previously reported on his hunger strike over access to his lawyers while he awaited the treason ruling.
Reuters linked protests during the 2025 vote to Lissu’s detention, CHADEMA’s exclusion from the election and rights groups’ allegations that government critics had been abducted. Reuters also reported that police gunfire at demonstrations in multiple cities left hundreds dead.
A commission appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan put the death toll at 518 or higher and blamed protesters for the violence. Hassan’s government rejected human rights groups’ claims that the security services had used excessive force.
Amnesty International condemned the guilty verdict and called for Lissu’s release. The group’s East and Southern Africa regional director, Tigere Chagutah, said Lissu “should never have been arrested, let alone prosecuted and convicted.”
His party spokesperson Brenda Rupia told Reuters that Lissu planned to appeal the prison term. Rugemeleza Nshala, CHADEMA’s chief legal counsel, said he would also file for bail.
