UK raises concern over Tundu Lissu’s four-year prison sentence
The British government has expressed concern over the four-year prison sentence handed down to Chadema chairman Tundu Lissu, emphasising the importance of human rights, political reconciliation and the rule of law in Tanzania.
The concern was outlined in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, by the UK Minister for Africa and International Development, Kirsty McNeill, following the High Court’s Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry decision to convict Mr Lissu of sedition rather than treason, the offence with which he had originally been charged.
In the statement, the UK recalled the findings of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, set out in Opinion No. 74/2025, which concluded that Mr Lissu’s detention was arbitrary and lacked a lawful basis.
The working group also identified serious concerns over his right to a fair hearing, alongside violations of safeguards guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The UK said Tanzania, as a state party to the international covenant, had an obligation to protect the right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, political participation and equality before the law.
The British government also reaffirmed its support for the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the October 2025 General Election, particularly the importance of political reconciliation in healing the wounds left by violence surrounding the polls.
According to the statement, reconciliation is an essential step towards restoring peace, trust and solidarity among Tanzanians.
The UK urged Tanzanian authorities to maintain their commitment to reconciliation, strengthen multiparty democracy and uphold the principles of justice in trials, legal processes and the administration of the rule of law.
The statement comes four days after the High Court of Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry convicted Mr Lissu of sedition and sentenced him to four years in prison.
The verdict was delivered on November 6, 2026, by a three-judge panel led by Judge Dunstan Ndunguru, alongside judges James Karayemaha and Ferdinand Kiwonde.
Mr Lissu had initially faced a treason charge over remarks he allegedly made on April 3, 2025, at Chadema headquarters in Dar es Salaam, which prosecutors claimed were intended to incite the public to prevent the October 2025 General Election from taking place.
However, the court acquitted him of treason after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove an intention to threaten or overthrow the government. It instead found him guilty of sedition, which had been presented as an alternative charge.
The verdict followed 577 days in detention since Mr Lissu’s arrest on April 10, 2025.
Following the ruling, his lawyers announced plans to appeal the conviction and seek bail pending the determination of the appeal.
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