Lawyers representing CHADEMA Chairman Tundu Lissu say they have begun the process of appealing his four-year prison sentence after he was convicted of incitement, despite initially facing a treason charge.
One of Lissu’s defence lawyers, Paul Kisabo, said they had already filed a notice of intention to appeal, an initial step before formally submitting an appeal to the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.
Speaking on Sunday, November 8, 2026, when he visited Lissu’s family home following the death of his father, Kisabo said the legal team was now waiting to receive a copy of the judgment and the court proceedings so they could prepare the grounds of appeal.
“Since we have the opportunity to take this matter to the Court of Appeal, we, as lawyers, have already begun the process of going there to seek justice for Honourable Tundu Lissu,” Kisabo said.
He explained that the notice of intention to appeal was filed on Friday, November 6, by CHADEMA’s Chief Legal Officer, Dr Rugemeleza Nshala, within the required 10-day period.
Kisabo said the lawyers were challenging the court’s decision to convict Lissu of incitement when the original charge against him was treason.
“Mr Lissu was not charged with incitement. He did not defend himself against an incitement charge, and he was never informed that he had committed incitement. There was no incitement charge,” Kisabo said.
He added that the legal team was also questioning the court’s decision to sentence Lissu to four years in prison instead of imposing a fine. He cited Section 35 of the Penal Code as one of the legal provisions relevant to their arguments.
Kisabo said the lawyers could not submit detailed grounds of appeal until they received the court documents, including the judgment delivered on November 6 and the full record of the proceedings.
He said they expected to receive the documents on Monday, November 9, so they could review them thoroughly and complete the next legal steps.
Lissu was sentenced to four years in prison by the High Court of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam Sub-Registry, on November 6, 2026, after being found guilty of incitement. However, he was acquitted of the treason charge.
The case lasted approximately 19 months following Lissu’s arrest on April 9, 2025, in Mbinga, Ruvuma Region, shortly after he addressed a CHADEMA political rally.
The trial began at the High Court on September 8, 2025, and concluded with the delivery of the judgment, 577 days after his arrest.
– BBC News
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