Sifuna’s Message to Tindu Lissu After Court Drops Treason Charges

Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) Leader Edwin Sifuna welcomed a Tanzanian Court's decision to drop treason charges levelled against Opposition figure Tundu Lissu.

Speaking on Friday, November 6, Sifuna offered words of encouragement to Lissu, asking him to remain steadfast in his quest for justice.

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He reiterated that eventually, his fight and that of the people of Tanzania would bear fruit.

"We encourage Ndugu Lissu, the CHADEMA Party and all our Tanzanian brothers to take heart and remain strong in their pursuit of justice and freedom, in the knowledge that all forces of regression are usually ultimately defeated," Sifuna wrote.

The Nairobi Senator said that any sound person who believes in democracy could see that the treason charges against Lissu were trumped-up and would not hold water in court.

"Lissu’s only crime was to call for basic reforms to the electoral architecture in Tanzania to guarantee a fair process. He has lost over two years of his life in custody as he fought off the charges," he added.

The three-judge bench ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that the Tanzanian Opposition leader intended to intimidate the government,

However, they determined that Lissu's call for the citizens to boycott and do everything possible to stop the electoral body from holding the General Elections in 2025 amounted to incitement.

"By uttering those words with the intention of disseminating them to the public, the accused incited the public to disrupt the 2025 elections," the court ruled.

The court in Dar es Salaam resolved to sentence him to four years in jail for the offence.

In response, Lissu questioned why the court jailed him for an offence that he had not been charged for. He further asked whether he could apply to be released on bond for the 'less serious' offence.