Minister for Africa and International Development, Kirsty McNeill, cited the report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which concluded Lissu’s detention was arbitrary and lacked sufficient legal basis.
The minister said the concerns contravened protections in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and reminded Tanzania that it is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
McNeill expressed London’s support for the Presidential Commission of Inquiry’s view that reconciliation is crucial to recovering from the violence recorded during the October 2025 elections in the East African nation.
The UK urged the Tanzanian authorities to sustain the commitment to reconciliation, a pluralist democracy, and the principles of a fair trial, due process and the rule of law.
Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said the verdict was the culmination of a deeply flawed process that was unjust from the moment of his arrest.
Chagutah mentioned “serious violations,” including denial of confidential access to his lawyers, and disconnection of live broadcasts, while international observers were arrested and deported.
Amnesty International further pointed out that 58-year-old Lissu was “held in inhumane detention conditions, in a death row cell, with limited access to religious services.”
The global movement wants the Tanzanian government to quash Lissu’s conviction, release him, end the crackdown on critics, and respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Anna Henga, VP of International Federation for Human Rights, said the “numerous irregularities” in the trial were “political persecution against a backdrop of repression and shrinking of democratic space” in Tanzania.
The CHADEMA chairman has filed a notice of appeal against the judgement delivered by a panel led by Judge Dunstan Ndunguru, which comprised Judges James Karayemaha and Ferdinand Kiwonde.
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025, after holding a political rally in Mbinga town and was transferred to Dar es Salaam, in an operation that reportedly involved excessive force.
The police charged him the next day with the non-bailable offence of treason for calling on Tanzanians to boycott the October 2025 elections over concerns about possible electoral malpractice.
