DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's opposition leader Tundu Lissu was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday after the High Court of Tanzania's Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry convicted him of incitement, bringing to an end a 576-day treason trial.
Lissu, national chairman of the opposition party Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), initially faced a treason charge but was acquitted after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove he intended to intimidate the government through his statements.
Police heightened security around the Posta and Kisutu areas of Dar es Salaam ahead of the ruling, with armed officers patrolling major roads and taking strategic positions along routes leading to the court premises.
Security was also reinforced at key junctions, including Ubungo, Mwenge and Buguruni, as well as at Bus Rapid Transit stations.
Despite the heavy police presence, members of the public and CHADEMA supporters gathered around the court, while traffic remained orderly.
The court convicted Lissu of the lesser offense of incitement under Section 390 of the Penal Code, which had been included as an alternative to the treason charge.
Reading the judgment, High Court Judge Dunstan Ndunguru said Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act empowers courts to convict an accused person of a lesser offense even when it was not separately included in the charge.
The judge said the court had considered evidence from both the prosecution and defense before concluding that Lissu's statements urging the public to prevent and disrupt the 2025 general election amounted to incitement.
He added that some prosecution witnesses had testified that Lissu's statements influenced them to participate in activities aimed at disrupting the election.
"The court is satisfied that, under Section 319 of the CPA, the accused committed the lesser offense of incitement under Section 390 of the Penal Code," Ndunguru said.
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025, in Mbinga District of Ruvuma Region, and had remained in custody throughout the proceedings because treason is a non-bailable offense under Tanzanian law.
The prosecution called 17 witnesses, while Lissu testified in his defense, acknowledging he made the statements but rejecting the prosecution's interpretation of them as treasonous, arguing they constituted legitimate political discourse. ■
