DAR ES SALAAM, TANANIA — Tundu Lissu, Chairperson of the Chadema party, will face further mention of his treason charges on June 2, 2025, following a decision by the Kisutu Magistrates’ Court to grant the police and the State an extension for their ongoing investigations. The court’s ruling mandates an additional 14 days of remand for Lissu.
This decision was met with strong objections from Lissu’s legal team, led by Senior Counsel Mpale Mpoki, Dr. Rugemeleza Nshala, and Peter, who cited violations of their client’s fundamental human rights.
The defense counsels presented multiple petitions to the court, demanding that the State provide specific reasons for the delays in their investigation, particularly given their initial assertion that all pertinent evidence was readily available online.
Furthermore, the defense expressed dissatisfaction with the heavy security presence, including armed and masked prison officers, surrounding their client.
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Lissu’s legal team implored Magistrate Godfrey Mhini to order the removal of these officers from the courtroom, arguing that their presence contravened the presumption of innocence enshrined in the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania 1977.
They contended that the extensive deployment of armed personnel created an unconstitutional atmosphere of guilt.
Following these submissions, the court ruled to extend Lissu’s remand for 14 days, adjourning the case until June 2, 2025. Lissu was subsequently returned to detention.
Diplomatic scrutiny:
The East Africa Law Society invited legal representatives to observe the hearing, including People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua.
Alongside Karua, human rights lawyer Gloria Kimani and journalist Lynn Ngugi, primarily from Kenya, were expected to attend the hearing.
However, they were detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Sunday, and several were deported back to Kenya.
Karua reported that she, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Council member Gloria Kimani, and Pan-African Progressive Leaders Solidarity Network member Lynn Ngugi were detained at the airport on Sunday afternoon.
The PLP party condemned the “disgraceful” deportations as “a blatant violation of the principles of the East African Community.” “That a prominent East African stateswoman can be treated in this manner, without due process or cause, is a stain on the integrity of regional cooperation,” the party stated. “This shameful action by President Samia Suluhu’s regime reflects a deep-seated fear of democratic scrutiny and the retrogressive entrenchment of authoritarian rule in Tanzania.”
Later in the evening, former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga and Kenyan activists Hanifa Adan and Hussein Khalid were also denied entry into Tanzania.
Meanwhile, armed individuals identifying themselves as officers appeared at activist Boniface Mwangi’s hotel room in Dar es Salaam on Sunday night.
Also Read: Martha Karua’s deportation from Tanzania exposes cracks in East African integration
He posted a video in which he refused to open his hotel room door, citing fears of abduction.
These incidents have raised questions about the reasons for denying Kenyan activists and lawyers entry into Tanzania.
President Suluhu’s administration has been accused of increasingly suppressing dissent, with police frequently disrupting rallies and arresting members of Lissu’s opposition Chadema party.
Her party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), which has held power since independence, is unlikely to relinquish its control easily.
