A Tanzanian court has charged opposition leader Tundu Lissu with treason for remarks he made last week urging the public to disrupt the upcoming elections scheduled for later this year.
Lissu, who is the chairman of the main opposition party CHADEMA and was the runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, was taken into custody on Wednesday following a rally in the southwestern region of Ruvuma.
During his court appearance in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam, Lissu was not permitted to enter a plea regarding the treason charge. However, he did plead not guilty to an additional charge of disseminating false information.
This charge is likely to draw renewed attention to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record as she seeks re-election.
Hassan received praise after assuming office in 2021 for reducing the repression of political adversaries and lifting media censorship that had intensified under her predecessor, John Magufuli, who passed away while in office.
Nevertheless, she has encountered increasing criticism from human rights advocates due to a series of arrests, as well as unexplained disappearances and killings of political opponents.
See more: The Personal Data Protection Authority Officially Launched its Digital Operations.
Hassan has asserted that her government is dedicated to upholding human rights and has initiated an investigation into the reported abductions from the previous year.
Lissu has been conducting rallies nationwide as part of his party’s “No reforms, no election” initiative.
