Overview

• Tundu Lissu, Tanzania's main opposition leader, appeared in court on May 19 for a treason trial that could lead to the death penalty if convicted.
• Lissu's CHADEMA party has been barred from participating in the October elections after calling for electoral reforms, intensifying concerns about political repression.
• Multiple foreign legal observers, including prominent Kenyan and Ugandan activists, were detained, interrogated, or deported for attempting to monitor the trial.
• Kenya's government has formally sought explanations from Tanzanian authorities regarding the detention and deportation of its nationals, citing East African Community norms.
• President Samia Suluhu Hassan, while claiming a commitment to human rights, warned against foreign interference, as critics accuse her administration of eroding democratic freedoms.