Tanzania's High Court has cleared opposition leader Tundu Lissu of treason, a charge that could have cost him his life. But the court found him guilty of incitement, and he now faces a sentence for that offence.
The verdict was delivered on Friday by a three-judge bench in Dar es Salaam. The judges ruled that the prosecution did not prove a key element of the treason charge against the Chadema chairman. For Lissu and his supporters, this is a major relief, since treason in Tanzania can carry the death penalty.
The relief is only partial. The judges were still reading their ruling when the news broke, and the full legal reasoning and the sentence for the incitement conviction had not yet been announced. This means Lissu's future is still uncertain.
Lissu has been in custody since April 2025. The case is linked to remarks he made on April 3, 2025, which the prosecution said amounted to inciting the public to disrupt the general election. He has always denied wrongdoing. He has repeatedly told the court and the public that the case is politically motivated and meant to silence a strong voice against the government.
The trial has been long and full of legal back and forth. In August this year, the same court ruled that the prosecution had presented enough evidence for him to open his defence. Lissu, who has been representing himself, even asked the court to summon senior government officials as defence witnesses, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Security was tightened in Dar es Salaam ahead of the verdict, with police deployed around the court. The case has been closely watched across East Africa, with political leaders, human rights groups and ordinary citizens waiting to see how it would end.
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