NAIROBI, Kenya- Linda Mwananchi Movement Party Leader Edwin Sifuna has welcomed the acquittal of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu on treason charges, describing the case as unjust and urging the CHADEMA leader and his supporters to remain steadfast in their push for justice and democracy.
In a statement issued after Friday’s ruling, Sifuna said supporters of democracy across the world were relieved by the collapse of the treason case against Lissu, Tanzania’s main opposition leader.
“All people of goodwill and supporters of democracy across the world are relieved to see the trumped-up treason charges against Comrade Tundu Lissu collapse, following his acquittal today,” Sifuna said.
However, Lissu remains in custody after the High Court of Tanzania acquitted him of treason but convicted him of the lesser offence of incitement, sentencing him to four years in prison.
Sifuna faults prosecution
Sifuna said the treason charges should never have been brought, arguing that Lissu’s calls for changes to Tanzania’s electoral system were aimed at securing a fair political process.
“Lissu’s only crime was to call for basic reforms to the electoral architecture in Tanzania to guarantee a fair process,” he said.
The LMM leader said the case had come at a heavy personal cost to Lissu, whom he said had spent years fighting the charges from custody. Court reporting, however, places Lissu’s legal ordeal at 577 days by the time of the November 6 verdict, nearly 19 months.
Sifuna encouraged Lissu, CHADEMA and Tanzanians pursuing democratic reforms not to lose hope.
“We encourage Ndugu Lissu, the CHADEMA Party and all our Tanzanian brothers to take heart and remain strong in their pursuit of justice and freedom, in the knowledge that all forces of regression are usually ultimately defeated,” he said.
Court finds no proof of treason
The ruling was delivered by a three-judge panel of the High Court of Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry, led by Justice Dunstan Ndunguru.
The court found that prosecutors had failed to prove a key element of the treason charge — that Lissu intended to intimidate or overthrow the government through his statements.
Treason is among Tanzania’s most serious offences and can carry the death penalty.
But the judges found that his public calls linked to the “No Reforms, No Election” campaign amounted to incitement under Section 390 of the Penal Code.
The court relied on Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a conviction on a lesser offence even where it was not separately set out in the charge sheet.
Appeal and bail plan
Lissu was arrested in April 2025 following statements prosecutors said were intended to mobilise the public to disrupt Tanzania’s October 2025 General Election.
He denied wrongdoing throughout the trial, maintaining that his campaign was about electoral and constitutional reforms and describing the prosecution as politically motivated.
CHADEMA has said it will appeal the incitement conviction and seek bail for Lissu pending the outcome of the case.
The party’s legal team argues that incitement is a bailable offence and that the time he has already spent in detention should be considered.
The case unfolded against the backdrop of political tension in Tanzania, where opposition leaders and rights groups have raised concerns about civic freedoms, election rules and the treatment of government critics.
Tanzania’s government has rejected allegations that its security agencies used excessive force during election-related unrest.
