A Tanzanian court has cleared opposition leader Tundu Lissu of treason but sentenced him to four years in prison for incitement, ending a 19-month case that could have carried the death penalty. The verdict, delivered in Dar es Salaam on Friday 6 November, keeps the Chadema chairman in custody and leaves unresolved the election dispute that led to his arrest.
What the court decided
A three-judge panel at the High Court ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove a key element of treason, according to the BBC. The judges instead convicted him of the lesser offence of incitement, ruling that Chadema’s “No Reforms, No Election” slogan was enough. “We are satisfied that through his statements, the accused intended to disrupt elections and instigate violence,” the judge said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Lissu faced a single treason count. The EastAfrican reports that the court relied on Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which lets judges convict on a lesser offence that was not separately charged. Lissu called the trial political persecution and said the judges had manufactured the incitement offence. He plans to seek bail, which was not available on a treason charge, and has leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. The government has repeatedly denied targeting its opponents.
The backdrop
Lissu was arrested in April 2025, shortly after launching a campaign for changes to the electoral system. He was excluded from the October 2025 presidential race along with another main challenger. President Samia Suluhu Hassan won with 98% of the vote, a result the opposition rejected. Chadema’s demands included an independently appointed electoral commission, an end to government-appointed district chiefs acting as returning officers, and the right to challenge presidential results in court.
Protests and a security crackdown after the vote left at least 500 people dead, according to an official inquiry. Opposition groups say the toll was much higher. Hassan has insisted the election was fair and has set up another commission of inquiry into the violence.
Why the verdict matters beyond Tanzania
International reaction has been sharp. British and European Union lawmakers called the case politically motivated and urged Lissu’s release. Amnesty International accused the government last week of weaponising counterterrorism laws to silence critics.
Analysis: the acquittal removes the threat of a death sentence, which would have raised the stakes for both the opposition and the government. The conviction still sidelines Tanzania’s most prominent opposition figure, and it will test whether calls for electoral reform can be made in African politics without criminal exposure.
Watch for the bail ruling, the Court of Appeal filing, and whether the new inquiry into the post-election violence reports.
