Tanzania convicts opposition leader Tundu Lissu of incitement, sentences him to four years

Tanzania’s High Court on Friday convicted Tundu Antiphas M. Lissu, the leader of the country’s main opposition party, of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison, while acquitting him of treason in a closely watched case that rights groups said was marred by serious fair-trial concerns. The ruling, delivered in Dar es Salaam by a three-judge panel led by Justice Dunstan Ndunguru, ended more than a year and a half of detention for one of Tanzania’s best-known opposition politicians on the most serious charge he faced.

The case centered on remarks Lissu made at an April 3, 2025, rally in Dar es Salaam, where his party, CHADEMA, was campaigning for what it called fundamental electoral reforms under the slogan “No Reforms, No Elections.” Prosecutors accused him of seeking to instigate the public to obstruct Tanzania’s October 2025 elections. Lissu, who was arrested in Mbinga on April 9, 2025, and charged the next day, had remained in custody ever since. Amnesty International said he spent 577 days in detention before Friday’s verdict.

The prosecution drew unusual international scrutiny because Lissu had also been charged with treason, an offense that can carry the death penalty in Tanzania. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty said the proceedings were also marked by repeated delays and by Lissu’s decision to represent himself after saying authorities had denied him confidential access to his lawyers. The judgment was issued by Ndunguru, Justice James Karayemaha and Justice Ferdinand Kiwonde, according to the Tanzanian outlet The Citizen.

After the ruling, Lissu rejected the case against him. “Those who are innocent, like me, do not apologize. You have sought out an offense that did not exist, and you have done so following political directives,” he said, according to AP’s court coverage.

CHADEMA said it would appeal both the conviction and the sentence and would seek bail pending appeal. Party lawyers argued that incitement is a bailable offense, according to The Citizen. International rights groups reacted sharply. Amnesty called the conviction and prison term “a travesty of justice.”

“Tundu Lissu should never have been arrested, let alone prosecuted and convicted. Today’s verdict and four-year prison sentence are the culmination of a deeply flawed process that was unjust from the moment of his arrest. … The conviction and sentence cannot be considered as the outcome of a fair trial,” Tigere Chagutah of Amnesty International said in a statement.

Lissu is a lawyer, former member of parliament for Singida East and a longtime opposition figure. He was elected national chair of CHADEMA — short for Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo — in January 2025. As head of Tanzania’s main opposition party, his prosecution became a test case for the country’s treatment of political dissent.

Rights groups have said the case fits a wider pattern of Tanzanian authorities using criminal charges, including treason, terrorism and incitement, against opposition figures and government critics, particularly since violence surrounding the October 2025 elections. In one example, AP reported that CHADEMA said in July 2026 that 51 party officials were arrested and charged with terrorism after authorities banned political rallies ahead of planned protests.