After five months of silence, Tanzania's most high-profile treason trial is back on, and it is putting the country's democracy under the global spotlight.

The treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu resumed on Monday after a five-month pause, reviving a case that has drawn international attention over the country's political climate.

Lissu, chairman of the main opposition Chadema party, has been in custody since April 2025 after being charged with treason, an offence that carries the death penalty in Tanzania.

According to details credited to cbinews.tv, outside the Dar es Salaam courthouse, Lissu accused prosecutors of deliberately dragging their feet to keep him behind bars.

"They want to waste time so that I can continue to remain in remand custody," he said.

The trial had been suspended since February while prosecutors appealed a ruling allowing additional evidence. Tanzania's Court of Appeal dismissed that challenge last month, clearing the way for the case to move forward, cbinews.tv reports.

Chadema described the hearing as a critical test of Tanzania's commitment to democracy, the rule of law and political freedoms, arguing the prosecution has been used to suppress legitimate opposition.

The trial follows widespread criticism of Tanzania's handling of protests surrounding last year's elections.

Lissu's supporters accuse President Samia Suluhu Hassan of reviving the repressive tactics associated with former President John Magufuli, an accusation the government has consistently denied.

For those who follow Tanzanian politics, Tundu Lissu is no stranger to danger.

He is a veteran lawyer, former Member of Parliament for Singida East, and has long been Chadema's most outspoken figure. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in Dodoma when gunmen sprayed his car with more than 30 bullets.

He spent years in exile in Belgium recovering from 16 gunshot wounds before returning to contest the 2020 election against Magufuli.

He lost that poll, which the opposition said was rigged, and went back into exile. He only returned in January 2023 after President Samia lifted the ban on opposition rallies.

Initially, Samia, who took over after Magufuli died suddenly in 2021, was praised for opening up civic space. She released political prisoners, met opposition leaders and was nicknamed Mama Samia by supporters.

But rights groups say the mood had shifted sharply ahead of the October 2025 general election. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented a rise in arbitrary arrests, abductions and restrictions on opposition gatherings in the past year.

Tanzania has seen at least 22 high-profile opposition detentions since January 2024, according to local media tallies monitored by cbinews.tv.

Treason is the most serious charge in Tanzania's penal code. A conviction carries a mandatory death sentence, although Tanzania has not carried out an execution since 1994.

With a general election looming and international observers watching closely, Chadema says how this trial is handled will show whether Tanzania is truly committed to political pluralism or sliding back into the Magufuli era playbook.

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