Tanzanian opposition leader urges courageous verdict in treason trial

As final submissions got underway on Wednesday, Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu urged the three-judge panel to reach an unbiased and courageous verdict in his trial.

He is facing treason charges over allegations that he incited the public to rebel and prevent the 2025 general election from taking place. The offence carries a potential death penalty.

Lissu was greeted by loud cheers and applause from supporters as he entered the Dar es Salaam High Court.

The defence has argued that the prosecution failed to establish its case, while prosecutors maintain that the evidence presented before the court meets the required legal threshold.

These final submissions follow the closure of the defence case last week. Lissu had sought to call three senior security officials as defence witnesses, but they declined to testify.

The Chadema party leader, who came second in the last presidential poll in 2020, has been detained since April 2025.

Lissu has pleaded not guilty in the treason case with his lawyer saying the charges are politically motivated.

Tanzania’s electoral commission barred Chadema from participating in the 2025 poll after it failed to sign a code of conduct document.

It also disqualified Lissu from running for president, leaving only candidates from minor parties to challenge incumbent President Samia Suluhu Hassan who went on win with nearly 98 per cent of the vote.

Hassan has faced growing criticism over severe democratic backsliding, a shrinking civic space, and a violent post-election crackdown that ended her reputation as a reformer.

The Chadema leader survived being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017. No one has ever been charged in the case.-africanews

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