Tanzanian opposition leader to face trial on treason charges

Tanzanian opposition leader to face trial on treason charges

Tundu Lissu has been detained since April last year for allegedly inciting the public to boycott the November elections.

Tanzania court rules Lissu has case to answer in treason trial

Tanzania’s High Court has ordered opposition leader Tundu Lissu to open his defence in a treason trial after finding that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for him to answer the charge. The decision on Friday, August 21, 2026, by a three-judge panel at the High Court’s Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry means Lissu, who has been in detention for 14 months, will now go on trial. Presiding judge Dunstan Ndunguru said the court had considered the e…

High Court rules Tundu Lissu has case to answer in treason trial

The High Court of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam Zone, has ruled that the National Chairman of CHADEMA, Tundu Lissu, has a case to answer in the treason case facing him, after the prosecution established a prima facie case. The ruling was delivered today by a three-judge bench led by Hon. Justice Dunstan Ndunguru, following consideration of submissions from both sides and the testimony of 17 prosecution witnesses. The Court further held that the prosec…

Lissu Treason Trial Moves Forward

A Tanzanian court has ruled that opposition leader Tundu Lissu must face trial after prosecutors established that he has a case to answer in a treason case that could carry a death sentence. A three-judge panel delivered the decision on Friday, ruling that the prosecution’s evidence was sufficient for Lissu to defend himself against the charges. “The court rules that the prosecution established a case which the accused needs to answer,” judge Du…