Tanzania’s VP resigns as opposition leader’s treason trial begins

Hassan’s main opponent and CHADEMA chairman, Tundu Lissu, could not participate in the election as he was incarcerated, while another rival, Luhaga Mpina, was disqualified.

Lissu’s trial commenced this week after Judge Dunstan Ndunguru ruled that “the prosecution established a case which the accused needs to answer”.

The 58-year-old politician-cum-activist has asked the court to summon several high-ranking government officials, including President Hassan, as defence witnesses.

Lissu, a human rights lawyer, is representing himself in a treason case carrying the death penalty. He has been in detention in Dar es Salaam for over 500 days since his arrest in April 2025.

Police took Lissu into custody after a political rally in Mbinga town, where he called for electoral reform ahead of the 2025 general election and allegedly incited the public to boycott the election.

Lissu, who has faced multiple arrests over the years, returned to Tanzania in January 2023 after fleeing to Belgium in 2017, when he survived an assassination attempt in Dodoma.