Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has condemned the four-year prison sentence handed to Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, describing the ruling as an attempt by the government to silence legitimate political opposition.
In a statement shared on his official X account, Bobi Wine welcomed the High Court’s decision to acquit Lissu of treason charges but criticised its decision to convict him on a lesser charge of incitement.
He described the acquittal on treason charges as a victory against what he termed the use of state institutions to intimidate political opponents.
“Tanzania High Court’s ruling acquitting comrade Tundu Lissu of the politically motivated treason charges is a victory against the ultimate weapon of state intimidation,” Bobi Wine stated.
However, he argued that the subsequent conviction and four-year sentence demonstrated how the judiciary could be used to suppress dissent and democratic demands.
“Convicting him for his rightful defence of democracy – his call for ‘No Reforms, No Election’ – proves that the state manufactured an offence purely to keep a powerful voice of the people locked away,” he added.
Bobi Wine further expressed solidarity with Lissu’s party, CHADEMA, and the people of Tanzania, insisting that the struggle for democratic reforms and political freedom transcends national borders.
“From Kampala to Dar es Salaam, our struggle against generational dictatorships and electoral autocracy remains unified,” he said.
He concluded by declaring that imprisonment would not extinguish the opposition’s determination to fight for democracy.
“A cage can restrain bodies, but it can never imprison the spirit of freedom ignited across the region.”
The Ugandan opposition leader also reaffirmed his support for the Tanzanian opposition, ending his message with the rallying call, “Aluta Continua!”
