Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu is set to stand trial for treason on Monday, just weeks before the country heads to the polls in an election his party has been barred from contesting.
Lissu, who was the runner-up in the 2020 presidential election, was arrested in April.
Authorities claim he incited rebellion in a speech urging the public to disrupt the upcoming vote. Prosecutors allege the comments amounted to treason.
The CHADEMA party leader had previously vowed to boycott the October election unless sweeping reforms were made to what he describes as a biased electoral system favoring the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party. CCM, in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961, is led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Lissu, a fierce critic of the government, survived a 2017 assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times.
No suspects have ever been arrested or charged in connection with the attack.
In a further blow to the opposition, Tanzania’s electoral commission also disqualified the presidential candidate from the country’s second-largest opposition party, effectively leaving only minor party challengers in the race against President Hassan.
President Hassan, who assumed office in 2021 following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, initially received praise for easing restrictions on political dissent and press freedom.
However, her administration has recently come under fire from human rights groups over alleged abductions, arbitrary arrests, and growing political repression.
While Hassan has publicly committed to upholding human rights and even ordered investigations into alleged abductions last year, no official findings have been released.
As the election approaches, the treason trial of one of Tanzania’s most prominent opposition voices is raising concerns about political freedoms and the fairness of the democratic process in the East African nation.
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