Dar es salaam: A Dar es Salaam court has prohibited media from live broadcasting the trial of Tanzania’s main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, who faces charges of treason. Principal Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga implemented the ban to protect the identities of civilian witnesses involved in the case. The ruling was announced during preliminary proceedings at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court.
According to Voice of Nigeria, the court’s decision specifically prohibits live streaming, live broadcasting, and any form of live distribution of content online to the public, including on social media or video broadcast. The restrictions come after Lissu’s arrest in April, following a speech in which prosecutors claimed he incited public disruption of the presidential and legislative elections set for October. If convicted, Lissu could face the death penalty.
Lissu criticized the court’s decision to hold the trial in private, arguing that the ban would allow proceedings to occur in ‘darkness’ and prevent his supporters from staying informed about the case. He emphasized that justice should be both done and seen to be done. Lissu leads Tanzania’s largest opposition party, CHADEMA, which has been excluded from the upcoming general election in October after calling for changes to an electoral process it argues is biased in favor of the ruling party.
Despite surviving an assassination attempt in 2017, where he was shot 16 times, the 57-year-old former lawyer ran for President in 2020 and placed second. Recent high-profile arrests and unexplained abductions have drawn attention to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record. A 2024 report by the U.S. State Department highlighted deteriorating rights in Tanzania, citing numerous government-perpetrated violations, including arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom.