The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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A Tanzanian court has charged Tundu Lissu, the leader of the main opposition party CHADEMA, with treason following remarks he made urging the public to resist upcoming elections scheduled for later this year.
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Lissu, who was the runner-up in the 2020 presidential race, was arrested on Wednesday after addressing a rally in Ruvuma, a region in the southwest of the country.
During a court session held in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Lissu was not permitted to respond to the treason charge. However, he pleaded not guilty to a separate accusation of spreading false information.
The development is likely to intensify international attention on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record as she seeks re-election. Initially praised for relaxing political and media restrictions after succeeding the late President John Magufuli in 2021, Hassan’s administration has since come under fire for a string of arrests, mysterious disappearances, and killings targeting opposition figures.
Despite growing concern from rights groups, President Hassan has maintained that her government is committed to upholding human rights, and she previously ordered an inquiry into the alleged abductions.
Lissu has been traveling the country leading CHADEMA’s “No reforms, no election” campaign.
