A Tanzanian court has acquitted opposition leader Tundu Lissu of treason but convicted him of the lesser offence of incitement, in a ruling delivered on Friday, November 6, following a trial that lasted more than a year.
Lissu, chairman of Tanzania’s main opposition party CHADEMA, was arrested in April 2025 over remarks prosecutors said were intended to mobilise supporters to prevent the October 2025 general election from taking place.
The prosecution accused him of telling supporters that the opposition would “block the election” and “mobilise rebellion”, arguing that his statements amounted to treason.
Lissu denied the charges, maintaining that his speech did not break the law and that the case against him was politically motivated.
In its ruling, the High Court found that prosecutors had failed to prove a key element of the treason charge: that Lissu intended to intimidate the government. The court, however, found him guilty of incitement.
The case drew national and international attention because of its connection to the political tensions surrounding Tanzania’s 2025 elections.
Lissu’s arrest, the alleged abductions of government critics and CHADEMA’s exclusion from the election were among the issues that contributed to protests during the polls.
Hundreds of people died during the unrest, which marked one of the most serious periods of political violence in Tanzania’s history.
A commission appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan reported in April that at least 518 people had been killed. The commission blamed protesters for the violence, while the government rejected allegations by human rights organisations that security forces had used excessive force.
Lissu’s conviction on the incitement charge means that, although he has been cleared of the treason accusation, he has not been acquitted of all charges.
