Tanzania Court Finds Sufficient Evidence to Try Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu for Treason

The High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's economic capital, has ruled that there is enough evidence to proceed with a treason trial for opposition leader Tundu Lissu. The court stated that Lissu must defend himself against the prosecution's evidence, marking a significant development in a case that has faced numerous delays.

Lissu's trial, which resumed on August 10th after a five-month suspension over procedural issues, stems from his arrest in April 2025. He had returned to Tanzania in 2023 after surviving an assassination attempt. This is the first time he faces charges of this magnitude, although he has been arrested multiple times previously.

The charges relate to a public rally in Mbinga, in southwestern Tanzania, where authorities accuse Lissu of stating his intention to prevent the general elections scheduled for October 29, 2025. The court found "prima facie" evidence that a crime was committed, based on his alleged public statements made in the presence of media.

Lissu's party, the Democratic and Progress Party (Chadema), the country's main opposition group, reported that police used tear gas, live ammunition, and physical force against Lissu's supporters during the rally. Lissu himself has described the trial's "interminable postponements" as a "classic abuse of judicial processes."

Human rights groups and opposition organizations have raised alarms about a wave of repression and arrests targeting dissidents in Tanzania under President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Lissu was one of two main rivals excluded from the 2025 presidential elections, which Hassan ultimately won. Post-election protests were met with a harsh police response, including internet shutdowns and a curfew. While an official investigation reported 518 deaths during the election violence, UN experts estimated at least 700 fatalities, with Chadema citing up to 1,000 deaths.