Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu will stand trial on treason charges after a court on Friday ruled that prosecutors had presented sufficient evidence for him to answer.
Lissu, leader of the opposition Chadema party, has been detained since April last year over allegations that he incited the public to boycott the November elections.
Before his arrest, Chadema had launched an election reform campaign under the slogan “No Reforms, No Elections,” demanding changes to the electoral system ahead of the polls.
Tanzania has faced international criticism over the violent crackdown on protests surrounding the elections, with opposition groups and human rights organisations alleging that thousands of people were killed by security forces.
Security was heightened around the High Court on Friday as Lissu’s supporters gathered for the ruling, which was also attended by foreign diplomats.
Lissu, a veteran opposition campaigner who returned to Tanzania from exile in 2023, has faced repeated arrests over the years. He also survived an assassination attempt in 2017.
The ruling was delivered by a three-judge panel days after prosecutors presented their evidence, with 17 witnesses testifying against Lissu.
Representing himself in court, Lissu urged the judges to ensure that he was allowed access to his lawyers, who he said had been prevented from visiting him in detention.
He also asked the court to summon several senior government officials, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom he intends to call as defence witnesses.
If convicted, Lissu could face the death penalty.
Chadema has accused President Hassan, who won the last election with 98 per cent of the vote, of reverting to the repressive tactics associated with her predecessor, John Magufuli.
The government has said more than 500 people were killed during the election-related unrest but has not identified those responsible for the deaths.
