Tanzania court jails opposition leader for incitement, lifts treason charge

What the report says

A Tanzanian court on Friday sentenced opposition leader Tundu Lissu to four years in prison on an incitement charge, while dropping a separate treason allegation that had carried the risk of a death sentence, according to Al Jazeera. The ruling came in a closely watched case in Dar-es-Salaam and was delivered as supporters gathered outside the courtroom and security was tightened around the area.

The judge said Lissu’s statements were intended to disrupt elections and encourage violence. Lissu, who leads the main opposition party Chadema, rejected the verdict and described the case as political persecution, arguing that the charges were meant to silence him and were driven by government pressure. The court said he could appeal.

Al Jazeera reported that Lissu was arrested before Tanzania’s presidential election last year, when President Samia Suluhu Hassan won re-election, and that he had already spent 19 months in jail before the verdict. The treason charge being dismissed is significant because it removed the possibility of capital punishment. The case has also drawn criticism from British and European Union lawmakers, who have said it appeared politically motivated and urged his release. More broadly, the case reflects continuing tensions between Tanzania’s opposition and the governing authorities, especially around election-related speech and political competition.