Tanzanian opposition leader convicted of incitement, cleared of treason

Tanzania’s main opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been found guilty of incitement by a three-judge panel at the High Court in Dar es Salaam. The same court acquitted him of the more serious charge of treason.

The 58-year-old Chadema party leader has been detained since April last year. He was charged over remarks made while campaigning for electoral reforms ahead of the disputed October 2025 general election.

“The offense of incitement is one that you, honourable judges, have manufactured. You have created an offense that did not exist, and you have done so on political directives.”

Lissu has consistently denied the charges and described the prosecution as politically motivated. During the trial he represented himself and argued that prosecutors took his statements out of context.

Prosecutors accused him of making statements intended to incite the public to disrupt the election and threaten the government. They argued his remarks, also circulated online, amounted to treason.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan won the October 2025 election with 98 percent of the vote. The opposition dismissed the result as a mockery of democracy because her two main challengers, including Lissu, were excluded.

Lissu has leave to appeal at the Court of Appeal, the country’s highest court. The legal reasoning and sentence for the incitement conviction have yet to be announced.

Treason is among Tanzania’s most serious offences and can carry the death penalty. The government has repeatedly denied targeting its opponents.