Tanzania has resumed the treason trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, ending a five-month suspension of proceedings in a case that has become a major test of the country’s political and judicial environment. Lissu, chairman of the opposition CHADEMA party, has been in custody since April 2025 after being charged with treason, an offence that carries a possible death sentence under Tanzanian law. Prosecutors accuse him of using political rallies to incite rebellion and disrupt the electoral process, allegations he denies.
The proceedings were paused in February after prosecutors sought to introduce additional evidence. The dispute reached the Court of Appeal, which rejected the government’s challenge on July 30, clearing the way for the High Court proceedings to continue. Outside the Dar es Salaam court, Lissu accused prosecutors of deliberately prolonging the case and keeping him in remand custody. His party has similarly argued that the prosecution is being used to weaken political opposition. The case has attracted wider attention following criticism of Tanzania’s handling of political activity and protests surrounding the 2025 general elections. CHADEMA was barred from participating in that election after failing to sign an electoral code of conduct, according to reports at the time.
Lissu, a former presidential candidate and prominent government critic, survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and returned to Tanzania from exile in 2023. His prosecution has intensified debate over political freedoms and the rule of law under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whose government has rejected accusations that it is deliberately targeting the opposition. The renewed trial is therefore being closely watched both inside Tanzania and abroad, with its outcome likely to influence perceptions of the country’s democratic institutions and political space.
