Dar es Salaam – In a series of court filings on November 6 and November 7, 2025, state prosecutors in Dar es Salaam and the capital, Dodoma, unsealed four separate cases charging a total of 140 citizens with treason, a crime that carries the death penalty in Tanzania.
The accused, whose ages range from 16 to 37, are alleged to have formed an intention to obstruct the 2025 general election with the purpose of intimidating the executive branch, manifesting this intent by causing serious damage to government properties.
The charges stem from the largest protests in Tanzania’s history, which saw thousands of mostly young people take to the streets on election day to demonstrate against what they viewed as a non-competitive election and a preceding wave of abductions and disappearances targeting government critics.
The demonstrations quickly escalated, leading to widespread destruction of property and a forceful state response that included a six-day nationwide internet shutdown and a military-enforced curfew.
Among those charged is Jennifer Bilikwija Jovin, a 26-year-old businesswoman and social media influencer known as ‘Niffer,’ who was arrested on October 27, two days before the election. While 21 others in her case are charged in relation to the October 29 protests, Ms Jovin faces a distinct treason charge.
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Prosecutors allege that between August 1 and October 24, she manifested her intent to obstruct the election by “encouraging the general public to purchase tear gas masks from her business centre so as to protect themselves from police tear gas during unlawful demonstrations.”
Mockery of justice
The sheer scale of the charges and the diverse profile of the accused—which includes peasants, drivers, businessmen, and at least two minors aged 16 and 17—has drawn sharp condemnation. Boniface Mwabukusi, President of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), denounced the charges as a “mockery of justice.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), he declared the charges “oppressive and unjust” and pledged that the TLS would coordinate and ensure every accused person receives a full legal defence.
“It is shameful that those who should be charged are today the ones opening charges against victims,” Mr Mwabukusi wrote, calling for an independent international investigation.
| Case Location | Number of Accused | Key Allegations |
|---|---|---|
| Dar es Salaam (Kisutu) | 76 | Conspiracy and Treason related to Oct 29 protests |
| Dar es Salaam (Kisutu) | 22 | Treason, including an influencer encouraging tear gas mask sales |
| Dodoma | 25 | Conspiracy and Treason related to Oct 29-30 protests |
| Dodoma | 17 | Conspiracy and Treason related to Oct 30 protests |
Meanwhile, a coalition of seven prominent civil society organisations, including the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) and Twaweza, issued a joint statement on November 7 condemning the “gross human rights violations” surrounding the election.
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The group cited killings of unarmed civilians, arbitrary arrests, and the confirmed deaths of at least two journalists: Master Tindwa of Clouds Media, killed at his home in Temeke, and Kelvin Lameck Mwakangondya of Baraka FM, killed while on duty in Mbeya on October 29. The statement also highlighted the arrest of approximately 312 people in the Kilimanjaro region alone.
Rising political tensions
The treason charges are the culmination of months of rising political tensions. The main opposition party, CHADEMA, had documented at least 52 enforced disappearances in the 25 days leading up to the election, targeting political figures, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens.
The party’s own national chairperson, Tundu Lissu—who survived an assassination attempt in 2017 when he was shot 36 times—was himself arrested and charged with treason in April 2025 in connection with his “No Reforms, No Election” campaign.
The election, which saw President Samia Suluhu Hassan declared the winner with an unprecedented 97.6 per cent of the vote, was marred by the disqualification of key opposition candidates and a climate of fear.
The official voter turnout was reported at a record 87 per cent, a figure that has raised eyebrows given that the 2020 election saw a turnout of just over 50 per cent and that the total number of votes cast approaches the entire population of voting-age citizens recorded in the 2022 census.
As the 140 accused await their day in court, with the judiciary having no jurisdiction to grant bail in treason cases, the legal proceedings are set to become the next battleground in a nation grappling with the aftermath of a deeply divisive election and a violent crackdown on dissent.
