Responding to news that treason charges were brought against Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema) on 10 April, following his arrest on 9 April, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said:

“The Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general elections.

“The authorities’ campaign of repression saw four government critics forcibly disappeared, and one unlawfully killed in 2024. The police have also prevented opposition members from holding meetings and other political gatherings, subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary detention and unlawful use of force.

“Instead of using these heavy-handed tactics to silence critics, authorities in Tanzania should focus on upholding fundamental human rights in the country, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Tundu Lissu

Tundu Lissu was arrested on 9 April 2025 after holding a political rally in Mbinga town, southwest of Tanzania. He was then transferred to Dar es Salaam, more than 1,000 kilometres away by road during the night. Police used excessive force, including by firing teargas and shooting in the air to disperse his supporters who gathered around during the arrest.

On 10 April, police charged him with the non-bailable offence of treason, in relation to social media posts he made on 3 April calling for Tanzanians to boycott the forthcoming elections, citing the possibility of rigging.

The state also charged him with three offences in relation to the “publication of false information” using the country’s cybercrime laws. On 3 April 2025, Tundu Lissu, in a You Tube post also stated that Tanzanian police participated in alleged electoral malpractices that he claimed were ordered by the president following the November 2024 local elections. He further stated that judges in the country are not independent and subject to pressure of the ruling party.

Dioniz Kipanya, a Chadema party official, disappeared on 26 July 2024 when he left home following a telephone conversation with an unidentified person. Deusdedith Soka and Jacob Godwin Mlay, both Chadema youth activists, and Frank Mbise, a motorcycle taxi driver, were abducted by a group of men suspected to be police officers on 18 August 2024.

The body of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a senior Chadema member, was found on 8 September 2024. Suspected security agents had abducted him from a bus on 6 September 2024 while he was travelling home to Tanga from Dar es Salaam. According to a post-mortem his body had been soaked in acid and bore signs of a beating.

Tundu Lissu will be arraigned in Kisitu Magistrates Court of Dar es Salaam on 24 April 2025.