Tanzania opposition leader Tundu Lissu awaits verdict in treason trial

After 19 months in detention, Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu will know his fate on Friday in a treason trial that has drawn international criticism and carries a potential death penalty.

Lissu was arrested ahead of last year's presidential election for allegedly inciting a poll boycott.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government cracked down on opponents and critics ahead of the vote in October 2025, sparking huge protests during the election.

Security forces responded by killing thousands, according to the opposition and rights groups. The government puts the death toll at 518.

Security was heightened in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam this week ahead of the verdict on Lissu, an AFP journalist said, with analysts warning that it could spark further unrest.

Lissu's Chadema party has urged supporters to turn out in large numbers for the court session.

In a statement on Wednesday, police warned against "those who want to stage a coup", saying groups were mobilising to travel to the city.

The case has drawn criticism from Britain and the European Union, whose lawmakers have described it as politically motivated and called for Lissu's immediate release.

"The use of capital punishment against a political opponent risks turning the justice system into an instrument of political repression," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Tanzania's president.

"I am closely following the outcome of Tundu Lissu's trial proceedings, and the broader implications for the rule of law," US ambassador to Tanzania William Trachman posted on X.

The case marks the third high-profile treason trial in mainland Tanzania's history. The first two, in the 1970s and 1980s, involved defendants accused of plotting to overthrow and assassinate the country's founding president, Julius Nyerere.

Lissu faces a possible death sentence but insists he is innocent.

"The mood seems to be that it's a given that he will be found guilty, the question is more about what the punishment will be," Anna Bwana, director of civil society group Twaweza East Africa, told AFP.

This is the first time the 58-year-old activist has faced such serious charges, despite repeated arrests over his opposition to the government.

In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, an attack he believes was politically motivated and which required him to undergo nearly 20 surgeries.

In his final submissions, he urged the three-judge panel to show "courage".

"My hope is that you will carry that heavy historical burden without bias, with courage and with the dignity carried by your judicial oaths," said Lissu, who represented himself in the case.

You may also like

Switzerland: Giant banner targets Big Tech outside data centre site

UN says struggling to help millions fleeing Sudan war find shelter

Spain: Vintage cars hit the streets of Almería for annual rally

01:00

Switzerland: Giant banner targets Big Tech outside data centre site

01:28

UN says struggling to help millions fleeing Sudan war find shelter

01:00

Spain: Vintage cars hit the streets of Almería for annual rally

01:00

Switzerland: Giant banner targets Big Tech outside data centre site

01:28

UN says struggling to help millions fleeing Sudan war find shelter

01:00

Spain: Vintage cars hit the streets of Almería for annual rally

NEWS 00:54 Tanzania opposition leader jailed for four years after treason acquittal

NEWS

02:30

Verdict expected in Tanzanian opposition leader's treason case

NEWS

01:27

Tanzania still haunted by deadly election violence one year on

NEWS

01:27

A year after Tanzania’s bloody election, victims still await justice

BUSINESS

01:02

Tanzania announces first major natural gas discovery in a decade

NEWS

00:53

Tanzania's jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu begins hunger strike

01:38 Kenya Kenyan doomsday cult leader sentenced to 200 years in prison for murder of 191

01:12 South Africa First results show South Africa's ANC headed to all-time election low with 32%

00:54 Tundu Lissu Tanzania opposition leader jailed for four years after treason acquittal