Four months after the arrest of Tanzanian opposition figure Tundu Lissu, a government lawyers told the court on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, that the case has been filed at the High Court and is ready for trial.
The matter is currently at the committal stage before Kisutu Principal Resident Magistrate Franco Kiswaga. After receiving confirmation from the prosecution, Lissu asked the court to verify that the case had indeed been filed at the High Court. Magistrate Kiswaga confirmed this.
Following that confirmation, the prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney Nassoro Katuga, requested the court to halt the livestreaming of the proceedings going forward. Katuga argued that the move was in line with a witness protection order concerning civilian witnesses in the case.
Lissu opposed the request, stating that the prosecution was misinterpreting the judge’s order. He urged the court to allow the livestreaming to continue.
Magistrate Kiswaga said he would issue an order on the matter on August 18, 2025, but reminded both sides that livestreaming is done at the court’s discretion.
This is the first case in Tanzania’s history to be livestreamed. There is no existing legal framework for such broadcasts; the court decided to do so in this instance broadening its mandate on open court, given the significant national and international interest in the case.
