Bobi Wine Condemns Lissu’s Four-Year Jail Term After Treason Acquittal

What the report says

Ugandan opposition figure Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine and leader of the National Unity Platform, has criticized Tanzania’s handling of opposition politician Tundu Lissu’s case. In remarks reported by Nile Post, Kyagulanyi said the four-year prison sentence was meant to silence dissent after Lissu’s acquittal on a treason charge.

According to the report, the High Court in Dar es Salaam on Friday, November 6, cleared Lissu of treason after judges found prosecutors had not shown he intended to overthrow or intimidate the government. However, the court convicted the Chadema chairman on a separate incitement charge and sentenced him to four years in prison. The case was tied to Lissu’s campaign for electoral reforms ahead of Tanzania’s October 2025 general election, including the slogan “No Reforms, No Election.”

Kyagulanyi argued that the acquittal showed the treason case lacked merit, while the remaining conviction reflected the use of the courts against political opponents. He also said the sentence was connected to Lissu’s push for democratic reforms. The report says Lissu had been arrested on April 9, 2025, after a rally in Mbinga town and had spent 577 days in detention by the time of the ruling.

The development is significant because it highlights continuing tensions between Tanzania’s authorities and opposition voices, and it drew a show of solidarity from a prominent regional opposition leader in Uganda.