Click to expand Image Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu waves to supporters at the High Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, November 6, 2026. © 2026 AP Photo/Florence Majani 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. His trial faced repeated delays, and he represented himself after saying the authorities had denied him private access to his lawyers.In May 2025, Tanzanian authorities abducted, beat, tortured, and deported activists who had traveled from neighboring Kenya and Uganda to Dar es Salaam to observe the proceedings. President Samia Suluhu Hassan subsequently instructed the Tanzanian security agencies to take action against foreign people who she claimed were “invading and interfering in our affairs.”Lissu’s conviction is the latest example of Tanzania’s repression of political opponents. For years, the authorities have arbitrarily arrested and charged opposition figures for allegedly inciting protests and terrorism. They escalated these arrests following widespread violence around the October 2025 elections, which the government has accused the opposition, including Lissu, of organizing.In May 2026, unknown people abducted and beat Lissu’s personal assistant, David Djumbe, in Dar es Salaam, before he escaped. The police denied involvement and announced an investigation but have not reported any arrests.CHADEMA said 51 of its officials were arrested and charged with terrorism after the government banned all political rallies ahead of youth-led protests planned for July 7. The authorities arrested and charged John Pambalu, a CHADEMA official, with treason in October, and Coletha Clavery Ntidyicha, the chair of a regional youth wing, with “counselling the commission of terrorist acts” on November 3.The Tanzanian government should end its crackdown on political opponents and their supporters and stop weaponizing the criminal justice system to silence dissent.