Tanzania’s leading opposition figure, Tundu Lissu, returned to court Monday after months of delay, only for his treason trial to be adjourned again.
The hearing stalled after Lissu objected to prosecutors’ plans to present secret witnesses from an enclosed cell, citing fairness and safety concerns.
Lissu, who has spent ten months in prison, was arrested after an opposition rally calling for constitutional and electoral reforms before disputed elections.
Representing himself, he warned that treason carries the death penalty and argued secret testimony risks an unjust and predetermined outcome.
Judges said they would rule on the objection Wednesday, prolonging a case that has become a symbol of Tanzania’s judicial paralysis.
The October 2025 election plunged the country into rare turmoil, triggering protests, internet shutdowns, mass arrests, and hundreds of reported deaths.
President Samia Suluhu, who won over 97% of the vote without major opposition challengers, blamed the unrest on foreign interference.
She later apologised to diplomats for the internet blackout and pledged it would never be repeated, forming a reconciliation commission.
The main opposition party, Chadema, rejected the initiative, demanding justice for families whose relatives died during the protests.
Chadema deputy leader John Heche called Monday for Lissu’s unconditional release, alleging authorities sought to exile him in exchange for freedom.
Lissu’s party boycotted the election, while he has repeatedly protested the slow judicial process since his arrest in April 2025.
Last year, he chose self-representation, accusing prison officials of blocking private meetings with his lawyers.
A fierce critic of the ruling CCM party, Lissu survived a 2017 assassination attempt and returned from exile to campaign for reform.