In Dar Es Salaam on Friday, Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, national chairman of the Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) party, was sentenced to four years in prison after a 576‑day treason trial ended with a conviction for incitement. The High Court of Tanzania’s Dar Es Salaam Sub‑Registry, following the judge’s reading of the judgment, found that Lissu had urged the public to prevent and disrupt the 2025 general election. He remains in custody, having been arrested on April 9 2025 in Mbinga District of the Ruvuma Region, and the offense carries a non‑bailable status under Tanzanian law.
Police heightened security around the Posta and Kisutu areas of the city in advance of the ruling, with armed officers patrolling major roads and taking strategic positions along routes to the court. Additional reinforcements were deployed at key junctions—Ubungo, Mwenge and Buguruni—as well as at Bus Rapid Transit stations. Despite the heavy presence, members of the public and CHADEMA supporters gathered around the court during the sentencing, and traffic remained orderly.
The court’s conviction stemmed from a shift from the original treason charge to a lesser offense under Section 390 of the Penal Code. The prosecutor had initially carried a treason case, but the judge ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that Lissu intended to threaten the government through his statements. Judge Dunstan Ndunguru explained that the Criminal Procedure Act’s Section 319 empowers courts to convict an accused of a lesser offense even when that offense was not separately listed in the original charge, and that the evidence from both sides led the court to conclude that Lissu’s statements amounted to incitement.
The court is satisfied that, under Section 319 of the CPA, the accused committed the lesser offense of incitement under Section 390 of the Penal Code.
Judge Ndunguru noted that some prosecution witnesses testified that Lissu’s remarks had influenced them to participate in activities aimed at disrupting election processes. He added that Lissu himself appeared in court, acknowledging that he made the statements but rejecting the prosecutor’s interpretation of them as treasonous, and arguing that they constituted legitimate political discourse.
Earlier this week, the BBC issued a correction for an initial report that had said Lissu was convicted of inciting treason. The broadcaster clarified that the conviction was for incitement, as reported by Xinhua, and that the earlier headline was amended accordingly.
According to an ABC News report, the three‑judge panel in Dar Es Salaam ruled that Lissu had incited people to disrupt last year’s election, corroborating the Xinhua account that the conviction was based on statements aimed at preventing or disrupting the 2025 general election. No additional sentencing details were provided beyond the four‑year term.
The sentencing marks the end of a trial that lasted 576 days, covering a total of 17 witnesses presented by the prosecution alongside the defense’s testimony. The case was closely watched by observers of Tanzania’s political climate, with CHADEMA organizing peaceful protests around the court premises to support their leader’s conviction and to express concerns about potential political repression.
As the High Court concluded, the ultimate punishment of four years in prison was imposed for the lesser offense of incitement. The decision reflects the application of Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, the role of the Penal Code’s incitement provisions, and the tense context of Tanzania’s upcoming elections. It also highlights the country's security apparatus, visibly active around key city points on the day the verdict was announced.}
