Outrage as over 40 African leaders condemn Tanzania’s Samia over Tundu Lissu’s detention

More than 40 African and international leaders, activists, and defenders of democracy have demanded the immediate release of Tanzania’s opposition leaders, Tundu Lissu and John Heche, expressing deep concern over their detention and disappearance.

Under the Platform for African Democrats (PAD), the group accused the Tanzanian government of persecuting the two opposition figures for their pro-democracy stance and silencing dissent ahead of the country’s controversial general election scheduled for Wednesday, October 29.

In a statement dated October 28, 2025, PAD expressed “grave alarm at the recent disappearance of John Heche, Deputy Chairman of CHADEMA and the continued imprisonment of Tundu Lissu, the party’s Chairman.”

“We call for their immediate and unconditional release,” the leaders, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, said.

According to PAD, Heche was arrested on October 22, and his whereabouts remain unknown, with authorities yet to disclose the reasons for his detention.

“The Platform for African Democrats raises its alarm that this disappearance of Heche by Tanzanian authorities indicates he is being ill-treated and not afforded his right to due process,” the statement read in part.

Call for respect and dignity

“We call on authorities to demonstrate publicly that Heche is being treated humanely, with respect and dignity. We further call on authorities to present whatever charges they may have against Heche in accordance with Tanzanian and international law and to allow access to him by his family and legal counsel.”

The leaders warned that failure to comply would confirm suspicions of enforced disappearance and urged the government to release him unconditionally.

They also condemned the continued imprisonment of Lissu, who has been in custody since April 10 after being charged with treason and publishing false information—charges PAD described as politically motivated.

“These accusations not only threaten his life under the death penalty provision but also represent a dangerous weaponisation of the law to silence legitimate dissent,” the group said.

PAD called on Tanzanian authorities to safeguard Lissu’s well-being in line with the country’s Constitution and international standards, including the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention and the Nelson Mandela Rules.

It further urged the High Court to ensure that “the rule of law and justice prevail in his ongoing treason trial.”

“The spurious evidence being presented by state prosecutors does not withstand judicial scrutiny. If not objectively considered and decided, this trial will make a mockery of Tanzanian rule of law before the eyes of the world,” PAD warned.

State’s pretence

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• Tanzania
• Tanzania
• President Samia Suluhu Hassan
• Tundu Lissu
• chadema
• Platform for African Democrats
• John Heche
• Tanzania democracy
• Outrage as over 40 African leaders condemn Tanzania’s Samia over Tundu Lissu’s detention
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As Tanzania heads to its disputed polls, PAD said the government’s actions against opposition leaders expose “the state’s pretence of being a democratic, open society.”

“The lengths to which the state has gone to silence voices of peaceful dissent and opposition to the ruling regime belies its pretence of being a democratic, open society,” they said.

PAD also condemned the abduction of former Tanzanian ambassador Humphrey Polepole, whose whereabouts have been unknown since his violent disappearance on October 6.

“We are alarmed by the ongoing abductions and disappearances of other voices speaking out against the corrupt and abusive practices of the state,” the group said.

The coalition urged President Samia Suluhu Hassan to uphold freedom of expression during the election period and to release all those detained unlawfully.

“Justice for Tundu Lissu and John Heche is justice for all who believe in democracy. Let us not be silent when voices for freedom are silenced,” the statement read.

Other signatories to the declaration include former Botswana President Ian Khama, Zimbabwe’s David Coltart, Uganda’s Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Angola’s Adalberto Costa Júnior, Nigeria’s Peter Obi, and several other global democracy defenders.

'Coronation', not an election

Meanwhile, a coalition of East African civil society organisations under the #JumuiyaNiYetu movement has accused the Tanzanian government of orchestrating a “coronation” rather than an election, citing systematic repression and state violence.

In a separate statement titled “Tanzania doesn’t have an election but a crackdown disguised as democracy,” the CSOs—including the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), Vocal Africa, and the Pan African Progressive Leaders Network—said the regime had increased police presence “in preparation for a war against its citizens rather than an election.”

“The so-called election in Tanzania is a sham. The outcome was fixed the moment Suluhu strangled all opposition, silenced the media, and shut down political space,” the statement read.

The organisations claimed that over 250 people had disappeared since the crackdown began, most of them opposition members or activists. They further alleged that journalists, religious leaders, and government critics had been abducted or assaulted, with church leaders such as Bishop Josephat Gwajima and Bishop Benson Bagonza reportedly targeted.

“We stand here to state that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the CSOs said.

They added that international observers from countries including Belgium, Germany, and Sweden had withdrawn from the polls, citing a lack of credibility.

“Most credible international observers have pulled out because, what, exactly, is there to observe in a coronation?” they posed.

The organisations also accused the African Union and the East African Community of turning a blind eye to the crisis, stating that “Africans are rightfully outraged that the African Union has chosen silence over principle.”