Tanzania: Opposition leader Tundu Lissu jailed for four years

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been sentenced to four years in prison after being cleared of treason. Lissu condemned his conviction for incitement, which had not been among the charges he faced. Tundu Lissu, the leader of Tanzania's main opposition party , was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday for incitement to unrest after being cleared of treason.

While the verdict removed the threat of a death sentence, judges convicted Lissu of an offense that was not among the charges he faced. Judges found that Chadema leader Lissu's statements about blocking the election were intended to disrupt the vote and encourage violence. "We are satisfied that through his statements, the accused intended to disrupt elections and instigate violence," the judge said.

"I was not charged with incitement but you judges are convicting me with it just to impress the person who gives you the titles," he said, apparently referring to President Samia Suluhu Hassan.