A Tanzanian court has prohibited live coverage of the treason trial of the country’s main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, sparking criticism from the politician and his party.
On Monday, Principal Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga ruled that all forms of live streaming, broadcast, or real-time online distribution of the proceedings were banned. The decision followed a request from state prosecutors, who argued that concealing the identities of prosecution witnesses was necessary for their protection.
“Live streaming, live broadcast, and any other kind of live distribution of content online to the public including on social media or video broadcast … are hereby prohibited,” Kiswaga declared during preliminary proceedings at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam.
Lissu, however, condemned the decision, saying it undermined transparency and shielded the judiciary from public scrutiny. “Justice must be done and be seen to be done,” he argued. Members of his CHADEMA party also criticised the ruling, calling it an attempt to limit public access to the politically charged trial.
The opposition leader, who is representing himself after dismissing his legal team, has been detained since early April on charges of treason and publication of false information, which he strongly denies.
Lissu is no stranger to political persecution. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times. Three years later, he contested the presidency, finishing as runner-up in the 2020 election. However, his party has since been barred from fielding candidates in October’s presidential and parliamentary polls.
His detention, alongside reports of enforced disappearances of government critics, has drawn renewed attention to the human rights record of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. While Hassan has pledged respect for human rights since assuming office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor John Magufuli, rights groups and opposition voices argue that repression has persisted.
The trial comes at a politically sensitive time as Hassan seeks her first elected term in office in the October elections.
Melissa Enoch
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