Tundu Lissu, chair of Tanzania’s main opposition party CHADEMA, returned to the High Court sub-registry in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, October 7, to continue probing the prosecution’s first witness in a treason case that has roiled the country in the run-up to the October 29 general election. Court observers say Lissu — who is representing himself — rose from the dock to question Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) George Willbert as proceedings picked up where they left off after an initial hearing on Monday, October 6.
What is at stake is not only the fate of one of Tanzania’s most recognizable opposition figures but also the tenor of the national campaign: the trial has amplified fears among rights groups, regional observers and opposition supporters that the state is tightening legal pressure on dissent ahead of a vote that critics say is already stacked in favour of the ruling party.
The charge and the calendar
Lissu faces a single count of treason under Section 39(2)(d) of the Penal Code, accused of making statements alleged to have been intended to obstruct the conduct of the 2025 general election. The trial — which government lawyers say is routine enforcement of criminal law and which Lissu and his supporters call politically motivated — is scheduled to run from 6–24 October 2025, with a further block of hearings set for 3–12 November 2025 as part of a tightly packed docket of prosecution witnesses.
Treason under the relevant sections is a grave charge in Tanzania — historically non-bailable and carrying the severest penalties — and the filing of such a charge against an opposition leader weeks before a national poll has intensified scrutiny from international rights groups.
Courtroom dynamics: evidence, partitions and a media blackout
The courtroom has repeatedly been the locus of procedural battles: Lissu has mounted technical challenges to the charge sheet and the admissibility of evidence; the prosecution has sought to shield some witnesses or their testimony, citing security and investigative-integrity concerns. Judges have at times allowed partitions to protect witness identities and ordered restrictions on live broadcasting — measures that the defence and press freedom advocates argue risk undermining transparency in a politically charged trial.
On Tuesday, local reporters and social-media observers described Lissu standing to press questions to ACP George Willbert, identified in court as a senior investigations officer. Courtroom scenes over recent weeks have included scuffles and accusations that supporters were kept out or pushed back by security forces — episodes that Lissu has pointed to as evidence of an uneven playing field.
A pattern, say rights monitors
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and legal advocacy groups have documented a pattern of arrests, deportations of visiting legal counsel and restrictions on opposition activities since early 2025, and have repeatedly urged Tanzanian authorities to ensure due process and political freedoms. Amnesty’s brief on Lissu’s arrest described the April detention and flagged the gravity of treason charges and the risks they pose to fair-trial rights. Human Rights Watch and other monitors have chronicled multiple postponements and procedural irregularities in the case file.
International media and observers have also linked the trial to a broader climate of tension around the October 29 poll: arrests of other opposition figures, reports of disappearances and alleged intimidation have fed regional concern about whether the electoral environment will be free and fair. Reuters and others have framed Lissu’s prosecution as a key flashpoint in that debate.
The prosecution’s case — and the defence’s counter
Prosecutors say they will call dozens of witnesses (reports indicate the prosecution expects to call up to 30 witnesses in the October sitting) to substantiate claims that Lissu’s public statements and social-media posts were intended to obstruct or impair the election process. State counsel have argued the charges are anchored in specific statements made at rallies earlier in the year.
Lissu, a lawyer by training and a veteran opposition figure who survived an assassination attempt in 2017, has vigorously denied wrongdoing. In court and public statements he has framed the prosecution as political theatre aimed at neutralising CHADEMA and discouraging supporters from participating in politics. He has continued to urge party members to remain “brave and confident” as the hearings proceed.
The wider political context
The trial comes after CHADEMA was barred from the election — a development that has already narrowed the formal choices for voters and heightened stakes for any legal action against opposition leaders. Regional governments, international NGOs and legal bodies such as the International Commission of Jurists have publicly questioned the pattern of legal measures being used against political opponents, urging safeguards for judicial independence and civil liberties.
Observers point out a chilling risk: when criminal law is used repeatedly against political actors in an electoral cycle, the result can be self-reinforcing suppression — fewer rallies, fewer observers, less robust scrutiny of the electoral management process and, ultimately, diminished voter confidence. For a country that had been praised in 2021–22 for tentative openings in political space, the developments of 2025 mark a worrying reversal for many analysts.
What to watch this month
— Witness testimony and credibility: How ACP George Willbert’s testimony is received, whether the prosecution’s witnesses give details that directly tie Lissu’s words to a demonstrable plan to obstruct voting, and how the court rules on contested evidence will be crucial.
— Transparency measures: Any decisions on live broadcasts, public access and the use of partitions for witnesses will shape perceptions of fairness.
— Responses from rights bodies: Further statements from Amnesty, HRW and regional organizations — currently vocal — could sharpen international pressure or influence mediation efforts.
One trial, many consequences
Whether the court convicts or acquits, the proceedings will ripple across Tanzania’s political landscape. A conviction would remove a high-profile critic from the public stage at a pivotal moment; an acquittal would expose weaknesses in the case and perhaps embolden opposition activity — but could also inflame tensions around turnout and post-vote legitimacy. Either outcome will be read as a signal of how durable Tanzania’s democratic norms are under pressure.
As Lissu urged his followers on Tuesday to “stay brave and confident,” the courtroom exchanges over ACP Willbert’s testimony encapsulated a larger national question: can Tanzania hold an election that the public believes is free of political coercion — or will legal instruments like treason charges become instruments of political exclusion? The answer will be written in witness boxes, rulings and, ultimately, in the ballots cast and counted on October 29.
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