Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu went on trial for treason on Monday in Dar es Salaam, just weeks before a national election from which his party has been barred.
Lissu, who came second in the 2020 presidential race, was arrested in April and charged with treason after prosecutors alleged that a speech he delivered called on citizens to rebel and disrupt the upcoming elections.
He has pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer insisting the charges are politically motivated. “Our client maintains his innocence,” the lawyer said, adding that the case aims to silence dissent ahead of the vote.
Lissu, leader of the CHADEMA opposition party, had vowed to boycott the election unless sweeping reforms were made to what he described as a flawed electoral process favouring the governing Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. CCM has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961.
According to CHADEMA, judges began hearing testimonies from the first state witnesses on Monday. In a statement on Sunday, the party said Lissu was “firm, steadfast, and ready” for the trial expected to last several weeks.
Lissu’s lawyer, Jebra Kambole, told Reuters that some of the opposition leader’s supporters were beaten and blocked from entering the courtroom. The court has also banned live coverage at the state prosecutor’s request to conceal witness identities.
Lissu’s detention and the reported abductions of government critics over the past year have renewed scrutiny of President Hassan’s human rights record. Though praised early in her presidency for easing repression and restoring media freedoms after the late John Magufuli’s rule, Hassan now faces criticism from activists over alleged abuses.
The electoral commission disqualified CHADEMA in April for failing to sign a code of conduct, effectively excluding the main opposition from the October 28 election. It also disqualified the leader of Tanzania’s second-largest opposition party, leaving only minor candidates to contest against Hassan.
Hassan has repeatedly stated that her government “is committed to respecting human rights” and ordered investigations into reported abductions last year, though no official findings have been released.
Lissu, who survived being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017, remains a key figure in Tanzania’s pro-democracy movement and a vocal critic of government repression.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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