Tanzania’s Tundu Lissu Cleared of Treason but Jailed for Four Years for Incitement

Tanzania’s most prominent opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, has been cleared of treason but sentenced to four years in prison for incitement, ending a trial that lasted about 19 months and drew attention from around the world. The verdict, delivered on Friday, 6 November 2026, means Lissu escapes the death penalty he faced on the treason charge — but he will stay in prison while he appeals.

A three-judge panel at the High Court in Dar es Salaam ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the treason charge against the 58-year-old chairman of CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party. At the same time, the judges found him guilty of the lesser offence of incitement, based on a speech he gave in April 2025 in which he called for electoral reforms and urged supporters to disrupt the general election.

Lissu, who has been held without bail since his arrest on 9 April 2025, plans to appeal against the sentence, his party said. The case has become a test of political freedom in Tanzania, a country once known as one of East Africa’s most stable democracies.

What the court decided

The ruling was delivered by a three-judge panel at the High Court’s Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry, led by Justice Dunstan Ndunguru. The judges had to decide two questions: was Lissu guilty of treason, and was he guilty of incitement?

On treason, the answer was no. The court found that prosecutors had failed to prove a central part of the charge — that Lissu intended to intimidate the government with his words. Treason is one of the most serious offences in Tanzanian law and can carry the death penalty, although the country has not carried out an execution since 1994.

On incitement, the answer was yes. The judges ruled that Lissu’s public remarks, including his campaign slogan “No Reforms, No Election”, amounted to inciting the public to disrupt the 2025 general election. They convicted him under Section 390 of the Penal Code and sentenced him to four years in prison.

The court relied on Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows judges to convict a person of a lesser offence when the evidence proves that offence, even if it was not separately included in the original charge. That detail mattered a great deal in court. Lissu, a lawyer who represented himself for much of the trial, told the judges he had never been charged with incitement at all.

“The offence of incitement is one that you, honourable judges, have manufactured. You have created an offence that did not exist, and you have done so on political directives,” he told the court, according to the BBC.

In passing sentence, the court noted that it had considered factors in Lissu’s favour, including that he was a first-time offender, and that a fine is usually the preferred punishment where one is available. Incitement carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine, or both. The judges concluded that imprisonment was warranted in this case.

The speech that led to the charges

The case grew out of remarks Lissu made on 3 April 2025, at a meeting with party aspirants at CHADEMA’s headquarters in Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam. Prosecutors said he told supporters that the opposition would “block the election” and “mobilise rebellion” unless the country’s electoral system was reformed.

His campaign slogan was simple: “No Reforms, No Election.” CHADEMA was demanding changes to the electoral laws and the electoral commission before the general election scheduled for October 2025. The party argued that without reforms, the vote would be neither free nor fair.

Six days after the speech, on 9 April 2025, police arrested Lissu. He was charged with treason and with publishing false information. He pleaded not guilty, arguing throughout the trial that his words broke no law and that the charges were politically motivated.

The trial itself was long and, at times, unusual. It featured extended proceedings, a “case to answer” ruling in August 2026, secret witnesses, and disputes over whether video evidence of the April speech could be admitted. Final submissions ended on 29 September 2026, and the court set 6 November for judgment.

Police surrounded the courtroom in Dar es Salaam on Friday as Lissu was brought to the hearing in a heavily guarded convoy. Crowds gathered nearby. Footage posted on CHADEMA’s X account showed Lissu being escorted to court by guards, some of them masked. He was seen waving his fist in the air briefly and shouting “Do not fear!” in Swahili. Inside the packed courtroom, he waved to supporters and shouted “We will arrive”, to which they responded “Yes” in Swahili.

Who is Tundu Lissu?

Tundu Antiphas Mughwai Lissu, 58, is a lawyer, a former member of parliament, and one of Tanzania’s best-known opposition figures. He served as the MP for Singida East from 2010 to 2020 and is now the national chairman of CHADEMA, formally known as Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, the Party for Democracy and Development.

Lissu first became known nationally as a public-interest lawyer working on land, conservation and mining law. He later moved into frontline politics, where he built a reputation as a fearless critic of the ruling party, CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi), which has governed Tanzania since independence.

His life changed on 7 September 2017, when he was shot 16 times outside his home in Dodoma, the capital, as he returned from a parliamentary session. He survived, but no one has ever been charged over the attack. He went into exile for treatment and rehabilitation, returning briefly in 2020 to stand in the presidential election against the incumbent, John Magufuli, finishing as runner-up.

He returned to Tanzania permanently in 2023, after President Samia Suluhu Hassan eased some of the political repression that had intensified under Magufuli, who died in office in 2021. At first, the return raised hopes of a more open political space. But human rights groups soon accused Hassan’s government of cracking down on opponents again — accusations she has denied.

Lissu’s arrest in April 2025 was part of a wider wave of detentions and reported abductions of government critics in the run-up to the election. It was the first time he had faced charges as serious as treason, despite repeated arrests over the years.

The disputed 2025 election

The trial cannot be understood without the election that followed Lissu’s arrest. In the months before the October 2025 general election, CHADEMA was disqualified from taking part, and Lissu was in custody facing a possible death sentence.

When the vote went ahead, protests broke out in several cities. Hundreds of people died as police opened fire on demonstrators, in what became the worst political unrest in Tanzania’s history. A commission appointed by President Hassan said in April 2026 that at least 518 people had been killed in the violence, blaming the protesters. Her government denied allegations by human rights groups that the security services had used excessive force.

President Hassan was declared the winner of the election with nearly 98 percent of the vote — a result the opposition and many observers rejected as neither free nor fair.

Lissu’s arrest, along with CHADEMA’s disqualification and the allegations of abductions of critics, was a key driver of the protests. His case became a symbol for many Tanzanians of what they saw as the shrinking space for opposition politics.

The United States has been watching the case closely. The US ambassador to Tanzania, William Trachman, wrote on X on Thursday, the day before the verdict, that he was closely following the trial and its “broader implications for the rule of law”. The US government said last December that it was reviewing its relationship with Tanzania because of violence against civilians and other concerns.

Earlier in the week, the police commander in Dar es Salaam warned that legal action would be taken against anyone who broke the law when the verdict was issued.

What happens next

Lissu has been given leave to appeal against the conviction and sentence at the Court of Appeal, Tanzania’s highest court. His party’s spokesperson, Brenda Rupia, told Reuters that he planned to appeal.

Because incitement, unlike treason, is a bailable offence, Lissu said he would like to apply for bail pending appeal. For now, though, the four-year sentence means he will remain in prison while the appeal moves forward, unless bail is granted.

The appeal will be closely watched. Lissu’s lawyers are expected to argue that he was never charged with incitement in the first place, and that convicting him of an offence he was not charged with was unfair. His supporters will also argue that the case was political from the start — a way to keep the opposition leader out of the way during and after the election.

For the government, the verdict offers a partial answer to its critics. It can point out that the courts acquitted Lissu of the most serious charge, and argue that the judiciary acted independently. But the four-year sentence means the country’s best-known opposition figure remains behind bars, and the questions about political freedom that the trial raised have not gone away.

Why it matters

Tanzania’s case matters well beyond its borders, for three reasons.

First, it is about the rules of democracy in East Africa. Tanzania was long seen as a stable, peaceful country in a region where politics often turns violent. The unrest around the 2025 election, in which at least 518 people were killed, damaged that reputation badly. How the country treats its opposition leader now will shape whether that reputation can be repaired.

Second, it is about the line between free speech and incitement. Lissu’s words were strong — he told supporters to block an election he believed would be rigged. The court said that crossed the line into incitement. But opposition politicians and human rights groups argue that calling for electoral reform and boycotting an unfair vote is legitimate political speech, not a crime. Where courts in other countries draw that line will be watched by governments and oppositions across the region.

Third, it is about what happens to opposition politics when the main opposition party is shut out. CHADEMA was barred from the 2025 election, and its chairman has now spent about 19 months in detention. With Lissu in prison for four more years unless his appeal succeeds, the party faces a long period without its leader — and Tanzania faces a long period without an effective opposition in parliament.

For Lissu himself, the verdict is mixed. He escaped the death penalty and the treason conviction, which is a real victory. But at 58, a four-year prison sentence is a heavy price, and the appeal is his only remaining path to freedom. As he told the court on Friday, he believes the case was never really about the law at all.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tundu Lissu?

Tundu Lissu, 58, is the chairman of CHADEMA, Tanzania’s main opposition party, a lawyer and a former member of parliament. He survived being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017 and has been held in custody since April 2025.

What was he charged with?

He was charged with treason over a speech he gave on 3 April 2025, in which prosecutors said he urged supporters to “block the election” and “mobilise rebellion” unless electoral reforms were made. Treason can carry the death penalty in Tanzania.

What did the court decide?

On 6 November 2026, a three-judge panel at the High Court in Dar es Salaam acquitted him of treason, saying prosecutors had failed to prove he intended to intimidate the government. But the judges convicted him of the lesser offence of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison.

Why was he convicted of incitement if he was not charged with it?

The court used Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows judges to convict a person of a lesser offence when the evidence proves it, even if it was not in the original charge. Lissu objected to this in court.

Will he appeal?

Yes. His party said he plans to appeal to the Court of Appeal, Tanzania’s highest court. He has been given leave to appeal.

What happened in Tanzania’s 2025 election?

CHADEMA was disqualified from the October 2025 general election, protests broke out, and at least 518 people were killed, according to a commission appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. She was declared the winner with nearly 98 percent of the vote.

Sources

• Reuters (via Devdiscourse) — “Tanzania opposition leader cleared of treason, sentenced for inciting unrest” (6 November 2026): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4002738-tanzania-opposition-leader-cleared-of-treason-sentenced-for-inciting-unrest
• BBC News — “Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu found guilty of incitement, acquitted of treason” (6 November 2026): https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckp8g4pm0y4lo
• The Citizen (Tanzania, via KenyaFeed) — “Tanzanian Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu Acquitted of Treason, Sentenced to Four Years for Incitement” (6 November 2026): https://kenyafeed.com/2026/11/06/tanzanian-opposition-leader-tundu-lissu-acquitted-of-treason-sentenced-to-four-years-for-incitement/
• People Daily — “Tanzania court sentences Tundu Lissu as treason case takes new turn” (6 November 2026): https://peopledaily.digital/news/tanzania-court-sentences-tundu-lissu-as-treason-case-takes-new-turn

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.