resolution motion, 5 May 2025
On the arrest and risk of execution of Tundu Lissu, Chair of Chadema, the main opposition party in Tanzania
Motion B-10-2025-0264 · (2025/2690(RSP))
on behalf of the PPE Group · Rapporteur: Sebastião Bugalho, Reinhold Lopatka, Michael Gahler, David McAllister, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Tomas Tobé, Liudas Mažylis, Ingeborg Ter Laak, Isabel Wiseler-Lima, Mirosława Nykiel, Wouter Beke, Luděk Niedermayer, Vangelis Meimarakis, Milan Zver, Tomáš Zdechovský, Danuše Nerudová, Miriam Lexmann, Jan Farský, Loránt Vincze, Jessica Polfjärd, Andrey Kovatchev, Inese Vaidere
AI:In short
Parliament condemns the arrest of Tundu Lissu, Chair of CHADEMA, and calls for his immediate release, expressing concern over charges carrying the death penalty. It urges Tanzania to uphold human rights, ensure fair trials, allow international observers, and start inclusive electoral reform dialogue. It calls on the EU to monitor the situation, demands an independent investigation into police abuse, and ties Global Gateway investments to rule of law progress.
Key points
- Condemns the arrest and detention of Tundu Lissu and expresses grave concern over charges carrying the risk of capital punishment.
- Calls on the Government of Tanzania to immediately and unconditionally release Lissu, ensuring his safety and right to a fair trial and due process.
- Underlines the need for legal representatives' access and detention conditions meeting international standards; calls for visits from UN and EU observers and open court hearings for media.
- Urges Tanzanian authorities to uphold the rule of law, respect human rights, and allow opposition parties to operate freely; halt intimidation, arrest, or harassment of opposition, journalists, and human rights defenders.
- Calls for transparent and inclusive dialogue on electoral reform involving all political parties, civil society, citizens, academics, and other stakeholders.
- Calls on the European External Action Service and Member States to monitor the situation and consider measures to address human rights violations in Tanzania.
- Demands an independent authority to investigate police abuse and other misconduct, ensuring those responsible are brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.
- Underlines that Global Gateway investments should be explicitly tied to progress in rule of law, freedom of expression, and fair trial standards.
Who is affected
- Tundu Lissu and CHADEMA: Parliament calls for his release and for the party to operate freely.
- Tanzanian authorities: must ensure fair trial, halt repression, and engage in electoral reform dialogue.
- EU and Member States: monitor situation and consider measures; tie Global Gateway investments to rule of law.
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Full text
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B100264/2025
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the arrest and risk of execution of Tundu Lissu, Chair of Chadema, the main opposition party in Tanzania
(2025/2690(RSP))
The European Parliament,
–having regard to Rules 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A.whereas Tundu Lissu, Chair of the main opposition party CHADEMA was arrested on 9 April 2025 in Mbinga following a peaceful rally advocating for electoral reforms as a part of the CHADEMA’s national “No Reforms, No Election” campaign;
B.whereas Tundu Lissu has been charged with treason, carrying a potential sentence of death penalty in Tanzania, and “publishing false information” online; whereas he has been denied regular access to his legal counsel and announced to enter a hunger strike in protest at his imprisonment;
C.whereas shortly after Lissu’s arrest, CHADEMAwas disqualified from October’s election due to the party’s refusal to sign an electoral code of conduct; whereas the human rights situation in Tanzania has significantly deteriorated in recent months;
D.whereas there has been a documented pattern of political repression against opposition figures, including arbitrary arrests, harassment, intimidation, and torture as reported in Freedom in the World 2025 and the Human Right Watch, regarding the current circumstances;
1.Condemns the arrest and detention of Tundu Lissu and expresses grave concern over the charges against him, which carry the risk of capital punishment; calls upon the Government of Tanzania to immediately and unconditionally release him, ensuring his safety and his right to a fair trial and due process;
2.Underlines the need for ensuring access for legal representatives to guarantee that the conditions of detention meet internationally recognised human rights standards; calls on the Tanzanian Government to allow visits from international observers from the United Nations and the European Union; access to court hearings should be open for media;
3.Urges the Tanzanian authorities to uphold the rule of law and to respect, protect and fulfil human rights, ensuring that opposition parties can operate freely and participate fully in the political process; urges the Tanzanian authorities to halt any acts of intimidation, arrest or harassment of opposition leaders and supporters, as well as journalists and human rights defenders;
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4.Calls for a transparent and inclusive dialogue on electoral reform, involving a wide spectrum of interested parties, including all political parties, civil society groups individual citizens, academics, and other stakeholders;
5.Calls on the European External Action Service and Member States to monitor the situation closely and to consider appropriate measures to address the human rights violations in Tanzania;
6.Demands that an independent authority is set-up to investigate allegations of police abuse and other misconduct to ensure that those responsible are to be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty;
7.Underlines that any investments under the Global Gateway initiative should be explicitly tied to progress in the areas of rule of law, freedom of expression, and fair trial standards;
8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of Tanzania, the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.