Opposition leader Tundu Lissu sentenced to four years — Deutsche Welle

In Tanzania, Tundu Lissu, the leader of the main opposition party Chadema, was sentenced to four years in prison for incitement to unrest. At the same time, the court acquitted him of treason charges, which carried the risk of a death sentence. Deutsche Welle reports the court's decision.

Court decision

The judges concluded that Lissu's statements about blocking the elections were aimed at disrupting the vote and inciting violence. According to the publication, the opposition figure was found guilty of an offense that was not among the charges brought against him.

Lissu challenged the legality of the decision. He said he had not been charged with incitement and suggested that the judges were trying to impress the person who appoints them to their positions. As DW notes, he likely meant President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

The opposition figure was arrested in April 2025 after a speech in which, according to the prosecution, he told supporters that the opposition would “block the elections” and “mobilize an uprising.” Lissu pleaded not guilty, insisting that his speech did not violate any laws and that the prosecution was politically motivated. Before the verdict was announced, he had already spent 19 months in custody.

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Protests and criticism of the case

Lissu's arrest, reports of the abduction of government critics, and Chadema's exclusion from the October 2025 elections became factors behind protests in the country. According to Deutsche Welle, police opened fire on protesters in several cities, killing hundreds of people. Opposition representatives and human rights groups put the death toll in the thousands.

A commission appointed by President Hassan reported in April that at least 518 people had been killed and blamed protesters for the violence. The government denied accusations of excessive use of force by security personnel. Before the verdict was announced, heightened security measures were introduced in the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, and near the courthouse.

British lawmakers and members of the European Parliament called the case politically motivated and urged Lissu's immediate release. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times; the politician considers the attack politically motivated.