Tanzania’s High Court on November 6 convicted Tundu Lissu, the leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party, Chama Cha Demokrasia Na Maendeleo (the ‘Party of Democracy and Development’, or CHADEMA), of incitement, sentencing him to four years in prison. The judges acquitted him of treason, a charge that carries the death penalty.

Authorities accused him of having planned to instigate the public to obstruct the October 2025 elections, based on remarks he made at an April 3, 2025, rally in Dar es Salaam. CHADEMA had been calling for the government to undertake “fundamental electoral reforms” as part of its campaign , “No Reforms, No Elections.” Prior to his conviction, Lissu had been imprisoned without bail since his April 9, 2025 arrest.

The proceedings against Lissu raised serious human rights concerns.…