Tundu Lissu, the leader of Tanzania's main opposition party, Chadema, was arrested last month and charged with treason over an alleged speech calling on Tanzanians to rebel and disrupt the country's presidential and parliamentary elections that are scheduled for October.

Chadema was also disqualified from the elections after it refused to sign an electoral "code of conduct."

Lissu faces a potential death penalty if convicted of treason — his most serious threat yet, despite multiple arrests over the years.

The crime of treason has become increasingly politicized in the East African nation, noted Fulgence Massawe, a legal expert based in the country's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, who said it is "very serious for Tanzania as part of the Commonwealth."

''That is why such crimes often target politicians and political statements made by opposition figures," Masawe added.

Despite the gravity of the case, Lissu has made it clear that he is ready to fight the charges against him — but only in open court. He refused to take part in an April 24 hearing when authorities said it would be conducted virtually via video link from prison.

"It is the right of our client to be brought to court,'' Lissu's legal team leader, Rugemeleza Nshala, told reporters last week, adding that the rules of criminal cases are that whenever you are summoned, you must physically appear in court.

''In a criminal case, you cannot be tried at your home or elsewhere," Nshala said. "Our client, since he knows the law, has refused to participate online."

A fight for electoral reform in Tanzania

Lissu was arrested in southern Tanzania, where he was holding public rallies to promote his party's "No Reforms, No Elections" campaign, which calls for major reforms to the country's electoral system, which it says favors the ruling party.

The government claims that encouraging citizens to block the election is tantamount to an act of rebellion.

John Heche, Chadema's vice chairman, who has also been arrested several times but without any charges, insists that standing up for a just cause is what the nation's founder encouraged the youth to do.

"Mwalimu Nyerere said that Tanzanian youth should rebel against oppressive system," said Heche. "What is the problem with rebelling against people who steal elections, against elections being stolen?'' 

Veteran lawyer and journalist, Jenerali Ulimwengu, echoed Heche's sentiments. He told DW that after a long time of trying to build democracy, Tanzania — once renowned for maintaining peace amidst the chaos of its neighbors — has now been taking steps to reverse the little progress that has been made.

Ulimwengu suggested that the government has decided against ''holding genuine elections, instead staging a performance and announcing inflated victory percentages.''

According to Ulimwengu, there were no "real elections" in Tanzania in 2019, 2020, including the previous year's local government elections.

Institutions condemn Lissu's arrest

The International Democratic Union (IDU), which advocates for political liberty, personal freedom, equality of opportunity and economic development, issued a statement at the end of April saying it was "gravely concerned by the continued detention and the escalating political persecution" of Lissu, "following his arrest … in connection with a peaceful political rally held in Mbinga."

IDU said that "demanding electoral reform and free elections is not treason — it is the very essence of democracy" and called for Lissu's immediate and unconditional release and the reinstatement of Chadema's full political participation rights.

A similar statement was made by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), which called on the Tanzanian government to stop undermining the rule of law and "to respect the rights of political parties to organize and agitate for their causes, and to respect the rights of the people of Tanzania to freely associate and peacefully assemble, as provided by national, regional and international law."

The ICJ called on Tanzanian's first female president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, to "demonstrate leadership and renew the commitments she made at her inauguration to lead the country back towards democratic progress."

Human rights activists have accused Hassan's government of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition. Amnesty International condemned a "campaign of repression" by the government, in a statement condemning Lissu's arrest, criticising the "heavy-handed tactics to silence critics." The government denies the claims.

Kisutu Magistrate Court on Tuesday ordered prison authorities to present Lissu in person for a hearing of his case on May 19.

Edited by: Keith Walker