By : RUTEMBESA Innocent|Staff Sweden office| Tanzania | on 12/11/2026
The High Court in Dar es Salaam on 6 November 2026 acquitted CHADEMA chairman Tundu Lissu of treason.
But the court convicted him of sedition / incitement and sentenced him to 4 years in prison.
Lissu had already spent 577 days in detention since his arrest on 9 April 2025, after he campaigned with the famous slogan “No Reforms, No Election” — calling for electoral reforms before the 2025 General Election.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty on the treason charge, but the three-judge panel ruled there was no sufficient evidence that he intended to intimidate or overthrow the Government.
Lissu denied all charges, saying the case is politically motivated:
> “I was not charged with incitement… I am completely innocent.”
His lawyers have already announced they will appeal and seek bail pending the appeal.
The UK has expressed concern over the sentence, calling for respect for human rights, political reconciliation and the rule of law in Tanzania.
Now many people across East Africa are asking one question:
Was justice served, or was it politics?
