Chadema official John Pambalu charged with treason in Tanzania
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Ghanaiantimes
John Pambalu, an official with Tanzania’s opposition Chadema party, has been charged with treason, an offence punishable by death. He is accused of seeking to mobilise the public against the 2025 election, while Chadema denounces a crackdown on opponents after the vote, the AFP reports.
John Pambalu, a member of Chadema’s national council, Tanzania’s main opposition party, was charged with treason on Wednesday, an offence punishable by death, reports the Ghanaian Times. The indictment accuses him of seeking to “persuade the public to disrupt” the 2025 general election and organising demonstrations intended to intimidate Tanzania’s executive.
John Pambalu, a former leader of Chadema’s youth wing, is the second party official to face treason charges after its leader, Tundu Lissu. Chadema vice-president John Heche said the party would “fight to the end” and would not leave Tanzania despite fears that he himself could be prosecuted, according to the Ghanaian Times.
Chadema was excluded from the October 2025 election, officially won by President Samia Suluhu Hassan with 98% of the vote. The opposition and human rights organisations estimate that around 2,000 people were killed in the crackdown on post-election protests, compared with 518 deaths recorded by an investigative commission set up by the presidency. The charge comes as Tundu Lissu’s treason trial is due to conclude soon.
