Second Tanzanian Opposition Figure Faces Death Penalty After Treason Charges

A senior official with Tanzania’s main opposition Chadema party was on Wednesday charged with treason, which carries a potential death penalty. The prosecution of John Pambalu represents another example of the repression of government critics after the October 2025 elections which were marked by widespread and bloodily repressed protests. Pambalu, a member of Chadema’s national council and former leader of the party’s youth wing, is accused of intending to “persuade the public to cause obstruction of the General Election” in 2025, the charge sheet read. … The party was eventually excluded from the October 2025 vote, which was eventually won by President Samia Suluhu Hassan with 98 percent of the vote, according to official results. Around 2,000 people were killed by the police and security forces during the post-election demonstrations, according to the opposition and rights groups. AFP