Mixed Reactions to Ruling in Tundu Lissu Treason Case

Tanzania’s High Court acquitted CHADEMA national chairperson Tundu Lissu of treason but found him guilty of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison. The three-judge panel, led by Justice Dunstan Ndunguru, ruled that Lissu’s remarks urging the public to prevent and disrupt the 2025 general election constituted the lesser offence under the Penal Code. Legal commentators questioned whether he could be convicted of an offence not explicitly included in the charge sheet, while human rights advocates had raised concerns over his prolonged detention.