Tanzanian opposition celebrates 'victorious' day after leader avoids death penalty

Tanzania's main opposition Chadema party celebrated a "victorious day" on Friday, after a court found their leader Tundu Lissu not guilty of treason.

Lissu was instead sentenced to four years in jail for inciting unrest, a charge that was not in the case. If upheld, this sentence could bar him from running in Tanzania's next election in 2030.

"We considered today as a victorious day for our party," said Chadema's deputy chairperson John Heche.

"From a case in which our leader has falsely been accused of treason to another false, fake case of incitement, this is a victorious day for our fellow Tanzanians."

Representatives for the Chadema party said they would appeal the sentence and seek bail in the meantime.

Tundu Lissu was arrested ahead of last year's presidential election on treason charges, which carry a potential death penalty.

He has spent 19 months in jail, in a case that has drawn international condemnation.

'Political persecution'

British and European Union lawmakers 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.

Responding to his conviction, Lissu said the trial was "political persecution", accusing the judges of following the government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan's orders.

"Excuses were created to imprison me," he told the court.

"I was not charged with incitement but you judges are convicting me with it just to impress the person who gives you the titles. I believe these were directives," he said.

Tanzania was considered one of the more stable democracies in Africa but has seen its reputation plummet as the long-ruling government has cracked down brutally on the opposition and protests.

Hassan's government carried out a wave of arrests and abductions targeting opponents and critics ahead of the October 2025 ballot, sparking huge protests during the election, which she ultimately won with 98% of the vote.

The authorities' response resulted in security forces killing thousands, according to the opposition and rights groups. The government puts the death toll at 518.