Tanzanian Opposition Leader Lissu Acquitted of Treason but Convicted of Incitement

A panel of three judges at the High Court in Dar es Salaam has acquitted Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu of treason but found him guilty of incitement, according to the BBC. The split outcome ends the most serious charge against him while leaving a conviction in place.

Lissu, 58, is the leader of the Chadema party, one of the main opposition groups in Tanzania. He is a lawyer and represented himself during the trial. He has been held in custody since his arrest on April 9, 2025, and as of November 2026 had been detained for more than 18 months.

The incitement conviction concerns remarks he made while campaigning for electoral reforms ahead of the 2025 general election, which was disputed. Lissu had launched a campaign demanding changes to the electoral system under the slogan "No Reforms, No Election," and he was arrested about six months before the poll. Prosecutors accused him of making statements intended to incite the public to disrupt the election and threaten the government.

Treason is among Tanzania's most serious offences and can carry the death penalty. The acquittal on that charge means it will not form part of the verdict against him, but the court's decision on incitement stands.

The election itself was won by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who received 98% of the vote in October 2025. An official inquiry found that at least 500 people died in protests and a security crackdown that followed the vote.

During his time on remand, the period when a defendant is held in custody before a verdict, Lissu went on hunger strike twice at Ukonga Prison in Dar es Salaam. He attended a hearing in his treason trial at the High Court on 21 August 2026. He is also a survivor of a 2017 assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, according to the Associated Press.

Lissu has leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal, Tanzania's highest court, against the ruling.