A COURT in Tanzania has charged opposition party leader Tundu Lissu with treason after his arrest at a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms.
The charges against the chairman of the Chadema party will bring new scrutiny to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s bid for re-election in October as critics accuse the government of cracking down on the opposition.
The opposition leader was forced into a police vehicle late on Wednesday after he had finished addressing a public rally in Mbinga in southern Tanzania.
“I came here, we held a peaceful meeting and now I understand the tactics of the police. We are now clear on the situation. I will not enter the vehicle. There is no need for that. We will sleep here. What is the problem?” Lissu asked the police, moments before his supporters were tear-gassed.
Lissu on Thursday afternoon arrived at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in the commercial capital Dar-es-Salaam, appearing in high spirits and in the company of his lawyers and opposition party politicians.
He was, however, not allowed to enter a plea on the treason charge.
He did plead not guilty to a separate charge of publishing false information and is due back in court on April 24.
Lissu’s lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala said the charges against his client were politically driven.
“You cannot separate these charges from politics,” Nshala told the Reuters news agency.
“He was doing campaigns to educate Chadema supporters, but they have turned it into charges.”
