The Hands off Cain team in Venice. From left: Annalucia Russo (Ausonia Hungarian Hotel /official venue); Ivan Friselle (All in Venice); Fabrizio Frongia (author of the “Human Rights Corner“ backdrop and canvas); Professor Patrizia Patrizi (Hands off Cain Board and RJ Forum); Dr. Arianna Fioravanti (Hands off Cain Board); Professor Porzia Addabbo (Hands off Cain Board); Barrister Enrico Marignani (Hands off Cain Board); Sean Brocca (All in Venice)

TANZANIA - Update on the situation of Tundu Lissu

September 3, 2025:

Update on the situation of Tundu Lissu in Tanzania.

The team supporting Tundu Lissu has informed us of the latest developments in the trial of the lawyer and former Member of Parliament Lissu, who is accused of “treason” for speaking about “corruption among members of the government” during the campaign for the country's general elections, which will be held in October.

As is well known, HoC is closely following the vicissitudes of Lissu, who has now been on death row for five months, but still nothing is known about the specific charges against him, and the trial continues to be postponed.

Tanzania has been ruled by a single party since its independence in 1961. The ruling party, now known as Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, the Revolutionary Party), dominates all aspects of Tanzanian life and rarely tolerates dissent.

The Revolutionary Party originally had a strong Marxist influence, but after more than 60 years of unchallenged power, and like many other former communist parties, it no longer has anything Marxist about it except its propensity to be the “single party”.

Lissu, on the other hand, is the leader of Chadema (the liberal-democratic “Party of Democracy and Development”), which won 13% of the vote in the last elections (2020), becoming virtually the only opposition party to exceed 0.5%.

In October this year, Tanzania will vote again, and five months ago Lissu was arrested on the grounds that the anti-corruption measures he had included in his party's electoral platform would play into the hands of unspecified “foreign powers”. However, Lissu has not admitted any wrongdoing, and as a result of this behaviour, the incumbent president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has issued an executive order banning his entire party from standing in the elections. Many observers believe that the charges against Lissu are completely fabricated and serve only to keep him out of the electoral race. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity hinted that Lissu will be released in some way once the elections are over. The fact remains that he is still in solitary confinement on death row, and at least formally, that is the sentence hanging over his head. As HoC noted in June, the Italian government has included Tanzania in the list of nations involved in the so-called “Mattei Plan”, but there is no evidence that it is exerting any pressure on behalf of Lissu.

HoC, together with All in Venice and with the sponsorship of Ausonia-Hungaria Venice, is bringing Lissu's vicissitudes, and more generally the issue of human rights, to the side events of the Venice Film Festival.

On the Lissu case, see also HoC 19/06/2025, 28/06/2025, 15/07/2025 and 30/07/2025.

This is the text of the update sent to us on 3 September by DUA (Democracy Union of Africa) and the organisers of the #FreeTunduLissu campaign!

 In a deeply alarming situation and as a major blow to the principles of fair trial and due process, the high court of Tanzania granted the request of prosecutors to conceal civilian witnesses in the Treason trial against Tundu Lissu. Witnesses will not be known, to the public and even to Tundu Lissu himself. You can not sentence someone to death by using unknown witnesses.

The court also has banned the live streaming of treason proceedings against Tundu Lissu.

 The committal process was concluded on August 17th. But it took that long time for the high court of Tanzania to asign a judge and determine the first hearing date. This of course, part of theor delaying tactics!

 It had wait until September 2 for a judge to be allocated for the trial in the high court, and the 8th of September be issued as first court appearance.

 This trial has drawn national and international attention. Blocking live coverage as it was in the committal process is the state's effort of trying to cover up the truth. They know they can not in anyway substantiate their treason claim, and they fear embarrassment from Tundu Lissu as a seasoned lawyer who will be representing himself.

 Concealed witnesses and media blackout means justice for Tundu Lissu will be administered in darkeness and will not be seen done. Any justice administered in darkeness is injustice itself!”