NEWS- A court in Tanzania has charged opposition party leader Tundu Lissu with treason after his arrest at a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms.
The charges against the chairman of the CHADEMA party will bring new scrutiny to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s bid for re-election in October as critics accuse the government of cracking down on the opposition.
The opposition leader was forced into a Police vehicle on Wednesday after he had finished addressing a public rally in Mbinga in southern Tanzania.
Tundu Lissu afternoon arrived at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in the commercial capital Dar-es-Salaam, appearing in high spirits and in the company of his lawyers and opposition party politicians and pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of publishing false information, however, not allowed to enter a plea on the treason charge is due back in court on April 24th 2025.
Tundu Lissu’s lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala said the charges against his client were politically driven saying that you cannot separate these charges from politics.
“He was doing campaigns to educate CHADEMA supporters, but they have turned it into charges,” Rugemeleza said.
According to the charge sheet, Tundu Lissu, who survived being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017, made the comments in question in Dar-es-Salaam on April 3th 2025.
The charge sheet quoted him as saying: “It is true we say we will prevent the election. We will inspire rebellion. That is the way to get change.” and added “So we are going to spoil this election. We are going to really disrupt. … We are going to spoil it very badly,” the charge sheet accused Tundu Lissu of saying.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan won plaudits after coming to power in 2021 for easing repression of political opponents and censorship of the media that proliferated under her predecessor John Magufuli, who died in office.
But she has faced mounting criticism from human rights activists over a series of arrests and unexplained abductions and killings of political opponents and on several occasions said the that government is committed to respecting human rights, and she ordered an investigation into reported abductions last year.
Meanwhile Uganda’s Opposition Leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has condemned the arrest of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s arrest, urges regional unity for good governance
“We must fight together for good governance in this region, so that we eventually win together as a people,” said.
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu denounced the arrest of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu as a democratic freedom violation, urging East African nations to unite for good governance.
Kyagulanyi expressed solidarity with comrade Tundu Lissu following his violent arrest in Tanzania, calling it a sign of deepening regional repression.
Tundu Lissu, a key CHADEMA opposition member and former presidential candidate, was reportedly arrested under unclear circumstances and pictures seemingly show his forceful detention by Tanzanian Security during a public event.
The incident sparked outrage among East African opposition leaders and rights advocates, who see the arrest as part of a growing trend of shrinking political space.
Kyagulanyi, who has faced multiple arrests and restrictions in Uganda for his politics, likened Lissu’s situation to challenges faced by other East African opposition figures.
“This is not just about Tanzania or Uganda,” he noted. “It is about an entire region where voices of dissent are increasingly being silenced.” Kyagulanyi Ssentamu said.
Tanzania is due for elections in October, where Tundu Lissu is expected to challenge President Samia Suluhu Hassan who took power in 2021 after the death of John Pombe Magufuli’s death and was initially praised for easing his authoritarian tendencies but has since faced criticism following arrests and abductions of some opposition members.
In public appearances, Tundu Lissu has stated that fair elections are unlikely in six months without reforms and wants a change in the electoral commission’s composition, arguing against direct appointments by Samia, but the authorities have described the campaign as inciting the public against the upcoming election.
Tundu Lissu has been arrested multiple times previously and in 2017, during Magufuli’s presidency, after surviving an assassination attempt, he went into exile, briefly returning in 2020 to run against Magufuli, leaving after results citing irregularities and returned in 2023 after Samia Hassan introduced changes allowing more opposition freedom.
Earlier yesterday, the Police used tear gas to disperse CHADEMA supporters, blocking party leaders from holding a press conference about Tundu Lissu’s arrest and some party supporters have insisted that they would continue demanding electoral reforms before the elections.
