Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu will go on trial on Monday for treason, just weeks before the country’s general election one that his party has been barred from contesting.
Lissu, who came second in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested in April and charged with treason over what prosecutors described as a speech inciting rebellion and urging citizens to disrupt the forthcoming polls.
According to prosecutors, his remarks amounted to “an attempt to undermine public order and national stability.”
However, Lissu, leader of the opposition CHADEMA party, has pleaded not guilty, insisting the charges are politically motivated. His lawyer also said the government was “using the justice system to silence dissent.”
“The allegations are baseless and designed to remove him from the political scene,” the lawyer stated.
The court has banned live coverage of the proceedings following a request by state prosecutors, who said it was necessary to protect the identities of witnesses.
Lissu, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after being shot 16 times, has remained one of the most outspoken critics of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
He had vowed to boycott the October 28 vote unless reforms were made to ensure fairness, accusing the electoral process of favouring President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s CCM, which has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961.
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In April, the electoral commission barred CHADEMA from participating in the election after the party failed to sign a code of conduct agreement. The commission also disqualified the leader of the country’s second-largest opposition party, leaving President Hassan to face only minor challengers.
Rights groups say Lissu’s detention and a series of alleged abductions of government critics over the past year have raised concerns about Tanzania’s human rights record.
President Hassan, who succeeded John Magufuli in 2021, was initially praised for loosening restrictions on the media and political opposition. However, she has faced renewed criticism for what activists describe as a return to repression.
Hassan has denied the allegations, saying her administration remains “committed to protecting human rights.” She has also ordered an investigation into reported abductions, though no findings have been made public.
Lissu’s trial comes amid growing fears that the October election will be heavily one-sided, cementing CCM’s grip on power as opposition voices continue to face legal and political barriers.
