Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu on Monday went on trial for treason in Dar es Salaam, just weeks before the country heads to the polls in an election that his party has been blocked from contesting.
The case has drawn widespread attention as it unfolds against a tense political backdrop and renewed scrutiny of Tanzania’s human rights record.
Lissu, who finished second in the 2020 presidential race, was arrested in April and charged with treason over what prosecutors claim was a speech urging the public to rebel and disrupt the upcoming election. The vote is scheduled for later this month.
Before his arrest, Lissu had declared that his party, CHADEMA, would boycott the election unless sweeping reforms were introduced to what he described as an electoral system skewed in favour of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party.
CCM, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has held power continuously since Tanzania gained independence in 1961.
The CHADEMA leader, who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after being shot 16 times, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer maintains that the case is driven by political motives aimed at silencing dissent ahead of the election.
According to CHADEMA, judges were set to begin hearing testimony from the first state witnesses on Monday. In a statement on Sunday night, the party said their leader was “firm, steadfast, and ready” for the proceedings, which are expected to stretch over several weeks.
One of Lissu’s lawyers, Jebra Kambole, said that some supporters were assaulted and blocked from accessing the courtroom as the trial opened. The court has also prohibited live coverage at the request of state prosecutors, who argued the measure was necessary to protect the identities of their witnesses.
Lissu’s detention, along with reports of abductions of government critics over the past year, has placed increased focus on President Hassan’s human rights record.
The electoral commission in April barred CHADEMA from taking part in the election after the party declined to sign a code of conduct document.
In a separate move, the commission disqualified the presidential candidate of Tanzania’s second-largest opposition party, effectively leaving the race to Hassan and contenders from smaller parties.
Hassan was initially praised after assuming office in 2021 for loosening the tight political controls and media restrictions that had intensified during the rule of her predecessor, John Magufuli, who died in office. However, she has come under growing criticism from rights groups over alleged abductions and arrests targeting opposition figures.
She has previously said her administration is committed to upholding human rights and ordered an investigation into reports of abductions last year, though no official findings have been released.