Tundu Lissu treason charge has escalated political tensions in Tanzania just months before a critical election. Authorities arrested the CHADEMA party leader on Wednesday, accusing him of urging rebellion and calling for disruption of the 2025 polls during a recent public address.
Prosecutors claim Lissu made the remarks on April 3 in Dar es Salaam. They say he told supporters, “It is true we say we will prevent the election. We will inspire rebellion. That is the way to get change.” He allegedly added, “We are going to spoil this election… very badly.”
Police detained him after a rally in Ruvuma and brought him to court in Dar es Salaam. The court did not allow him to plead to the treason charge, which is a capital offense. He denied a separate accusation of publishing false information and will return to court on April 24.
Lissu’s lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, dismissed the case as politically driven. “You cannot separate these charges from politics,” he said. “He was educating CHADEMA supporters. Now they treat that as a crime.”
As chairman of the main opposition party and runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, Lissu plays a key role in the push for electoral reforms. His party, CHADEMA, has vowed to boycott the upcoming general elections unless the government overhauls what it sees as a biased electoral system. Authorities have not yet set a date for the vote.
Tundu Lissu treason charge casts new light on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record. When she took office in 2021, she won praise for easing crackdowns on political activity and media freedom. However, critics say recent arrests, disappearances, and political intimidation have reversed those early reforms.
Lissu has survived political violence before. In 2017, he endured 16 gunshots during an assassination attempt. No investigation has led to arrests, despite public condemnation of the attack by former president John Magufuli.
Although President Hassan has promised to respect human rights and even ordered investigations into alleged abductions last year, rights groups remain skeptical. They argue that her administration uses legal charges to silence dissenting voices.
The Tundu Lissu treason charge now places her leadership under fresh scrutiny. Observers will watch closely to see whether the courts uphold justice or enable political suppression.
