As Tanzania prepares for presidential and legislative elections, opposition leaders are facing increasing legal and political setbacks. On Monday, a high court ruled that the treason case against prominent opposition figure Tundu Lissu will proceed, rejecting his legal team’s appeal to dismiss the charges on procedural grounds.
Lissu, a senior member of the CHADEMA party, was arrested in April after delivering a speech that prosecutors claim incited public disruption of the upcoming October elections. He has remained in custody since, and if convicted, could face the death penalty.
This ruling adds to a series of blows against Tanzania’s opposition. Earlier this year, CHADEMA the country’s largest opposition party was barred from participating in the elections. And on the same day as Lissu’s court decision, the electoral commission disqualified presidential hopeful Luhaga Mpina, leader of ACT-Wazalendo, the second-largest opposition party.
ACT-Wazalendo condemned the move as politically motivated and lacking legal merit. With both major opposition candidates sidelined, President Samia Suluhu Hassan appears poised to face minimal competition, with only minor party candidates remaining in the race.
Human rights organizations have raised alarm over what they describe as a growing crackdown on dissent. In June, UN experts urged the Tanzanian government to halt the use of enforced disappearances and intimidation tactics against political opponents, journalists, and activists.
“Suppressing media freedom and targeting human rights defenders is unacceptable,” the UN statement read. “We are deeply concerned by reports of escalating repression ahead of Tanzania’s general election.”
The developments have sparked concern both domestically and internationally about the integrity of the electoral process and the future of democratic participation in Tanzania.
