TENSION AT KISUTU: LISSU BACK IN COURT AS TANZANIA DEPORTS KENYAN, UGANDAN ACTIVISTS

Dar es Salaam, June 2, 2025 — All eyes are on the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court today as opposition leader Tundu Lissu returns for a critical hearing in his ongoing treason and false information case—a legal showdown that has now taken on regional dimensions.

The case, being heard by Principal Resident Magistrate-in-Charge Franco Kiswaga, is currently at the committal stage and is expected to be transferred to the High Court for trial. Lissu, the firebrand chairman of CHADEMA, was last in court on May 19, when proceedings were postponed after prosecutors cited ongoing investigations—an explanation the magistrate dismissed as “insufficient.”

But it’s not just the legal arguments grabbing attention.

The case has taken a regional twist following the detention and deportation of prominent East African activists who attempted to attend or observe the proceedings. Kenyan lawyer and politician Martha Karua, activist Boniface Mwangi, and Ugandan rights advocate Agather Atuhaire were reportedly detained, harassed, and swiftly deported upon arrival in Tanzania over the weekend.

Their removal has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups and human rights observers across East Africa, who accuse Tanzanian authorities of stifling solidarity and silencing critical voices.

In what appears to be a response to mounting pressure for transparency, the Judiciary of Tanzania announced that criminal cases No. 8606/2025 and 8607/2025, pitting the Republic against Tundu Anthipas Lissu, will be streamed live via its official platforms.

According to Gerard Julius Chami, Head of the Judiciary’s Information, Education and Communication Unit, the livestream aims to provide access to the public as only 80 people can be physically accommodated in the courtroom:

10 seats for state attorneys and court officials,

60 for defense lawyers and associates,

10 for journalists.

As the legal drama unfolds and regional scrutiny intensifies, today’s proceedings at Kisutu could shape not only Lissu’s political fate, but also Tanzania’s reputation for democratic openness in East Africa.