Tundu Lissu: debate over appeal and pardon widens in Tanzania
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Jamhuri Media
The Dar es Salaam court acquitted Tundu Lissu of treason but convicted him of incitement and sentenced him to four years in prison without a fine. According to JamhuriMedia, the ruling has revived debate over legal remedies, presidential pardon and national dialogue.
On 6 November 2026, the High Court of Dar es Salaam acquitted the leader of the opposition party CHADEMA, Tundu Lissu, of treason, but found him guilty of incitement to sedition. He was sentenced to four years in prison without a fine, after 577 days in detention, according to JamhuriMedia. The panel of three judges, presided over by Judge Dunstan Ndunguru, held that the prosecution had not proven all the elements of treason, but that the evidence was sufficient for sedition.
The court relied on Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a lesser offence related to a more serious charge to be found. Legal experts question whether sedition can be considered a lesser offence of treason and whether Mr Lissu was able to defend himself adequately against that classification.
Dr Rugemeleza Nshala, head of the legal department of CHADEMA, announced that the defence will appeal and will request bail pending the hearing. Analysts point out that bail after conviction is not automatic and that the accused’s state of health may weigh on the decision. The debate also concerns a possible presidential pardon and the need for dialogue for national reconciliation, according to JamhuriMedia.
This ruling follows the four-year prison sentence handed down on 6 November. The defence’s appeal is among the expected next steps in this appeal case.
