Tanzania: opposition leader Tundu Lissu escapes the death penalty
Mr Lissu has been behind bars for 19 months. He was arrested in April 2025 for calling for the elections to be blocked through confrontation, in protest at the absence of electoral reforms. He is the main rival of the country's current president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom a number of observers accuse of hardening her rule and pushing Tanzania towards dictatorship.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, 58, chairman of the CHADEMA party, was sentenced to four years in prison by the High Court in Dar es
He was found guilty of "incitement to disorder" and violence, but cleared of treason, a charge that carries the death penalty.
“Mr Lissu has been behind bars for 19 months. He was arrested in April 2025 for calling for the elections to be blocked through confrontation, in protest at the absence of electoral reforms. He is the main rival of the country's current president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom a number of observers accuse of hardening her rule and pushing Tanzania towards dictatorship.”
A violent and brutal crackdown on demonstrators followed, leaving more than 800 people dead, all while her main opponent sat in a prison cell.
Within moments of the verdict, Mr Lissu's legal team responded. Dr Rugemeleza Nshala, CHADEMA's chief legal officer, announced that the defence would appeal against the conviction. The lawyers plan to apply for bail pending the hearing of the appeal, arguing that the charge of incitement allows for it.
They also strongly criticised the severity of the sentence, pointing out that Mr Lissu has already spent 577 days (about 19 months) in pre-trial detention. Added to the new sentence, they argue, the total punishment matches or even exceeds the legal maximum for the offence.
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