Tanzanian opposition leader shows up for a trial for treason

President Samia Suluhu Hassan cautioned foreign rights advocates against meddling, while Tundu Lissu, Tanzania’s chief opposition leader, assured his supporters that they need not be alarmed when he appeared in court on Monday on treason-related charges.

Due to the fact that the trial was handled virtually rather than in person, Lissu, who was making his first court appearance since his arrest, had previously declined to attend a hearing on April 24.

According to a video of the courthouse posted by his CHADEMA party on X, he entered the courtroom on Monday with his fist raised in the air while supporters yelled, “No Reforms, No Election.”

“Everything will be alright. “Don’t be afraid,” Lissu remarked, gesturing triumphantly as he took his seat in the dock.

In a treason indictment last month, Lissu—who was shot 16 times in a 2017 attack and finished second in the most recent presidential poll—was accused of urging the populace to rebel and sabotage the October elections.

The hearing was postponed until June 2 after prosecutors notified the court during Monday’s hearings that the case was still being investigated, Lissu’s attorney, Rugemeleza Nshala, told reporters.

President Hassan, who intends to run for reelection, has had his rights record brought to light by a string of high-profile arrests. Her government is dedicated to upholding human rights, according to Hassan.

Hassan requested the security services to prevent foreign human rights campaigners from entering the country during a televised speech on Monday, warning them against “invading and interfering in our affairs.”

Lissu’s CHADEMA party has called for reforms to an election procedure that they claim benefits the ruling party before they cast their ballots.

A former justice minister and several Kenyan rights advocates claimed they were refused admission into Tanzania while traveling to witness the trial.

When they arrived at Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, they were arrested, including former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga, Kenya’s former Justice Minister Martha Karua, a well-known attorney and opposition politician, they claimed on X.

Requests for response from Paul Mselle, Tanzania’s immigration spokesperson, were not immediately answered.

“Today was going to be a big day and we went out there in solidarity,” Karua expressed to Kenyan network NTV on Monday following her denial of admission and subsequent return to Nairobi.

“The state is not a tool for individuals. People who don’t share your opinions or whom you dislike cannot be deported.