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Tanzania’s main opposition leader Tundu Lissu has appeared in court for the first time since his arrest on treason charges last month, telling his supporters not to fear.<\/p>\n
He raised his fist in a gesture of defiance and told his supporters: “You will be fine. You should not fear.”<\/p>\n
Tension was high in the country’s biggest city, Dar es Salaam, in the morning, with security officers heavily deployed at the trial magistrate’s court and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
But that did not deter his supporters, hundreds of whom gathered outside the court.<\/p>\n
The court had previously attempted to conduct hearings virtually, but he and his legal team opposed this, citing the need for transparency and due process.<\/p>\n
The Chadema party leader was arrested on 9 April following his rallying call for “no reforms, no election” – telling supporters that the general election due in October should not go ahead unless there are electoral reforms.<\/p>\n
He has since been charged with treason and publishing false information online, which allegedly incited rebellion and accused police of electoral misconduct.<\/p>\n
He denies the charges.<\/p>\n
If convicted, he could face the death penalty.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the prosecution said that investigations into the treason charges were still ongoing, with Lissu’s lawyers questioning the delay.<\/p>\n
The court has urged the prosecution to hasten the process and the case will be heard again on 2 June.<\/p>\n
Lissu’s team also raised concerns over the heavy police presence around the court, which the judges acknowledged, saying there would be consultations on whether this was justified.<\/p>\n
The case, which Lissu has described as politically motivated, has heightened concerns over the state of democracy in the country.<\/p>\n
It has attracted global attention, especially after the deportation of prominent Kenyan personalities who had travelled to the country in solidarity with Lissu.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, former Justice Minister Martha Karua said she had been deported from Tanzania along with her two colleagues to prevent them from attending the trial.<\/p>\n
The Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition said it was shocked by the “arbitrary arrests”.<\/p>\n
Hours later, former Kenyan chief justice Willy Mutunga and other prominent rights activists said they had been stopped and held at the airport.<\/p>\n
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has apparently backed the moves by the security agencies, saying: “We’ve started seeing a trend where some activists from our neighbouring countries are trying to interfere with our internal affairs.<\/p>\n
“If they have been contained in their country, let them not come here to meddle. Let’s not give them a chance – they have already created chaos in their own country.<\/p>\n
“We are the only country [in the region] that still has security and peace.<\/p>\n
“I urge our security agencies… not to give a chance to indisciplined people from elsewhere to come create indiscipline here.”<\/p>\n
Another former Kenyan chief justice, David Maraga, was in court and said that he hoped “the legal process ahead will be fair, just, and expeditious”.<\/p>\n
Recent events in Tanzania, including the arrest of other opposition figures and a wave of abductions and killing targeting government critics, have sparked condemnation and calls for an end to political repression.<\/p>\n
The Chadema party has been disqualified from the October general elections after demanding electoral reforms and refusing to comply with the electoral commission’s requirement to sign a code of conduct.<\/p>\n