DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzanian – opposition leader Tundu Lissu went on trial for treason on Monday in the capital Dar es Salaam, just weeks before a national election that his party has been barred from contesting.
Lissu, who leads the CHADEMA opposition party and was the runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested in April and charged with treason over a speech that prosecutors claim incited the public to rebel and disrupt the upcoming vote set for October 29.
The opposition leader had earlier vowed to boycott the polls unless sweeping electoral reforms were made, arguing that the process is skewed in favor of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, which has governed Tanzania since independence in 1961.
Lissu, who survived a 2017 assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, has pleaded not guilty, with his legal team insisting the charges are politically motivated.
As proceedings began, Lissu’s lawyer Jebra Kambole said several of the opposition leader’s supporters had been assaulted and blocked from entering the courtroom. The court also banned live media coverage at the request of state prosecutors, citing security concerns and the need to protect witness identities.
In a statement on Sunday, CHADEMA said their leader remained “firm, steadfast, and ready” for the legal battle, which could take weeks.
Lissu’s detention and reports of abductions of government critics in recent months have drawn renewed scrutiny of President Hassan’s human rights record. Hassan, who initially earned praise after taking power in 2021 for loosening political and media restrictions imposed under her predecessor John Magufuli, has recently faced mounting criticism from activists and opposition figures.
Tanzania’s National Electoral Commission disqualified CHADEMA from participating in this year’s election after it allegedly failed to sign an electoral code of conduct. The commission also barred the leader of the country’s second-largest opposition party from contesting the presidency, effectively leaving only minor party candidates to challenge Hassan.
Hassan’s administration maintains that it is committed to upholding human rights, and the president previously ordered an investigation into reports of politically motivated abductions. However, no official findings have yet been made public.
As the trial unfolds under tight security and growing international attention, the case against Lissu is being widely viewed as a test of Tanzania’s democracy ahead of the October polls.
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