DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA — A Tanzanian court has formally charged opposition party leader Tundu Lissu with treason on Thursday, stemming from statements he made the previous week in which he called for public obstruction of the national elections scheduled for later this year.
Lissu, the chairman of the primary opposition party CHADEMA and the runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested on Wednesday following a political rally in the southwestern Ruvuma region.
During his court appearance in the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam, Lissu was not permitted to enter a plea regarding the treason charge.
However, he entered a plea of not guilty to a separate charge of disseminating false information. This legal action is expected to place renewed scrutiny on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record as she seeks re-election.
President Hassan initially garnered praise upon assuming office in 2021 for relaxing restrictions on political opposition and media censorship, policies that had become prevalent under her predecessor, John Magufuli, who died in office.
However, she has since faced escalating criticism from human rights advocacy groups concerning a series of arrests, as well as unexplained abductions and killings of political opponents.
President Hassan has publicly stated that her government is committed to upholding human rights and ordered an investigation into reported abductions that occurred last year.
Lissu has been conducting rallies across the nation as part of his party’s campaign, which is centered on the slogan, “No reforms, No Election.”
