Tanzania opposition leader avoids death penalty in treason trial

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was convicted Friday on the lesser charge of incitement to unrest, avoiding the death penalty, in a treason trial that has drawn international condemnation.

Tanzania was considered one of the more stable democracies in Africa, but has seen its reputation plummet as the long-ruling government has cracked down brutally on the opposition and protests.

Lissu, head of the main opposition party, Chadema, was arrested ahead of last year's presidential election on treason charges -- which carry a potential death penalty -- for allegedly inciting a poll boycott.

The court said he was not guilty of treason, but instead convicted him of incitement, which could lead to a sentence of five years in prison or a fine.

"We are satisfied that through his statements, the accused intended to disrupt elections and instigate violence," the judge told a courtroom packed with supporters.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan's government carried out a wave of arrests and abductions targeting opponents and critics ahead of the vote in October 2025, sparking huge protests during the election.

Authorities responded by killing thousands, according to the opposition and rights groups. The government puts the death toll at 518.

Security was heightened across the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, and around the courthouse ahead of the verdict, as Lissu's supporters gathered for the hearing.

Analysts had warned that a treason conviction could trigger further unrest in the east African nation.

In a statement on Wednesday, police warned against "those who want to stage a coup", saying groups were mobilising to travel to the city.

'Political repression'

The case drew criticism from British and European Union lawmakers, who described it as politically motivated and called for Lissu's immediate release.

"The use of capital punishment against a political opponent risks turning the justice system into an instrument of political repression," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Tanzania's president.

"I am closely following the outcome of Tundu Lissu's trial proceedings, and the broader implications for the rule of law," US ambassador to Tanzania William Trachman posted on X.

It marked the third high-profile treason trial in mainland Tanzania's history. The first two, in the 1970s and 1980s, involved defendants accused of plotting to overthrow and assassinate the country's founding president, Julius Nyerere.

This was the first time the 58-year-old activist faced such serious charges, despite repeated arrests over his opposition to the government.

In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times, an attack he believes was politically motivated and which required him to undergo nearly 20 surgeries.

In his final submissions, he urged the three-judge panel to show "courage".

"My hope is that you will carry that heavy historical burden without bias, with courage and with the dignity carried by your judicial oaths," said Lissu, who represented himself in the case.