Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been acquitted of treason but sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of incitement, a decision his supporters and rights groups have criticized as politically motivated. Lissu, chairman of the opposition party CHADEMA, was arrested in April 2025 over a speech prosecutors said encouraged supporters to obstruct elections and mobilize rebellion. He denied wrongdoing, and his party says he will appeal. Lissu’s detention and the party’s exclusion from the October 2025 elections contributed to widespread protests in which hundreds died. The verdict has renewed scrutiny of Tanzania’s political freedoms and judicial independence. Ahead of the verdict, the US ambassador to Tanzania said he was following the trial and its broader implications for the rule of law in the country.