The U.K. called on Tanzania to uphold due process and fair-trial rights after opposition leader Tundu Lissu's incitement conviction, citing concerns in a UN panel opinion about his detention.
In its Nov. 10 statement, the U.K. cited Opinion No. 74/2025 by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. The government said the panel considered Lissu's detention arbitrary, found the legal grounds inadequate and raised serious doubts about trial fairness.
The U.K. said the opinion found Lissu's detention violated protections in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and conflicted with Tanzania's commitments as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It also recalled the country's obligations to protect fair-trial rights, freedom of expression, political participation and equal treatment under the law.
The statement backed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry's emphasis on reconciliation in addressing violence around the October 2025 General Elections. It linked that effort to rebuilding trust and solidarity and advancing peace.
U.K. Minister for Africa and International Development Kirsty McNeill urged Tanzanian authorities to uphold political pluralism, due process and the rule of law. EconoTimes previously reported on Lissu's acquittal on treason charges and four-year incitement sentence.
