NAIROBI, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was cleared of treason but found guilty of incitement and sentenced to four years in jail on Friday, in a case rights groups and his supporters say is politically motivated.
Police surrounded the courtroom in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and crowds gathered nearby as authorities brought Lissu to the hearing in a heavily guarded convoy.
The chairperson of Tanzania's main opposition party CHADEMA was arrested in April last year and charged with treason in a case that helped fuel the worst political unrest in the country's history during the October 2025 elections.
HUNDREDS DIED IN PROTESTS
The charge related to a speech Lissu gave in which prosecutors say he told supporters that the opposition would "block the election" and "mobilise rebellion".
He had pleaded not guilty, arguing during the trial that his speech did not violate any law and that the charges were politically motivated. The government has dismissed accusations of a crackdown on dissent and said protesters started the violence.
Footage posted on CHADEMA's X account showed Lissu being escorted to the court by guards, some masked. He was seen waving his fist in the air briefly and shouting "Do not fear!" in Swahili.
More footage from CHADEMA showed Lissu in the dock, sporting dreadlocks and dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt with a blue rosary around his left arm, waving to people inside the packed courtroom and shouting "We will arrive" while they responded "Yes" in Swahili.
Lissu planned to appeal against the jail sentence, his party's spokesperson, Brenda Rupia, told Reuters.
Lissu's arrest, along with CHADEMA's disqualification from the vote and allegations by rights groups that government critics were abducted, was a key driver of protests that broke out during last year's elections.
Hundreds died as police opened fire on protesters in multiple cities, undermining the country's longstanding reputation for stability.
A commission appointed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan said in April that at least 518 people were killed in the violence, which it blamed on protesters. Her government denied allegations by human rights groups that the security services used excessive force. She was declared winner of the election with nearly 98% of the vote.
Earlier this week, the police commander in Dar es Salaam warned that legal action would be taken against anyone planning to break the law when the verdict was issued.
The US ambassador to Tanzania, William Trachman, wrote on X on Thursday that he was closely following the trial and its "broader implications for the rule of law". The US government said last December it was reviewing its relationship with Tanzania due to violence against civilians and other concerns.
LISSU WAS SHOT 16 TIMES IN FAILED ASSASSINATION
Lissu, 58, survived being shot 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017. No one has ever been charged in the case.
He went into exile and returned briefly in 2020 to stand in the presidential election against the incumbent John Magufuli, finishing runner-up.
Lissu then returned permanently in 2023 after President Hassan eased political repression that had intensified under Magufuli, who died in office in 2021.
But Hassan soon faced growing criticism from human rights activists for cracking down on opponents, accusations she denied.
(Writing by Aaron Ross and George Obulutsa;Editing by Alexander Winning, Ammu Kannampilly and Aaron Ross)
