Tindu Lissu, who was filmed 16 times in an assassination attempt in 2017, is a great survivor of Tanzanian politics and one of its most persecuted politicians.
But some people asked him if he had reached the end of the line now.
Lissu, the leader of Chadema, the leader of the main opposition party, returned to the spotlight after being charged with treason – the highest penalty is the death penalty.
Despite this, he did not avoid it. Despite the huge risks, he believes he can reform the government before the presidential and parliamentary elections in October.
But can he survive the storm in a harsh political environment and defy allegations he considers politically driven?
His party has been disqualified from the election and has been in custody for the past two weeks.
Last September, Lissu told the BBC that nothing would appear on the silver medal, which required the courage to reform “on the streets and in the villages.”
To achieve his goal, he believes he must take over Chadema's leadership.
Lissu was a fiery politician who was critical of the party's campaign style, accusing then-Chairman Freeman Mbowe of being too reconciled with the government.
In a fierce match, he ousted Mbowe from the Post.
Lissu was arrested and detained this month after just three months of Chadema's helm, allegedly calling for the public to launch a rebellion and undermine the election.
He did not allow the request to be signed on the treason charge, but pleaded not guilty to the charge of publishing false information alone.
Before his arrest, he had gathered throughout the country, calling for “no reform, no elections.”
He said the current system is beneficial to the ruling CCM party, adding that without reform, it would be meaningless to participate in the election.
He will reappear in court on Thursday. He could not seek bail because he was charged with treason.
His international lawyer Robert Amsterdam told the BBC that it was their “mission to defend democracy”.
However, it is not an easy task – the CCM has won every election since its independence and is unlikely to let go of its shackles on power easily.
Chadema also has a rift, and some members disagree with Lissu's strategy.
CCM Party Wins Every Election in Tanzanian History [AFP]
The party was banned from participating in the October election after it refused to comply with the Election Commission's request to sign the code of conduct.
The main goal of the document is to ensure that political parties and their supporters maintain good behavior during the elections … and maintain peace and harmony”.
Chadma sees the code of conduct as a strategy to curb the opposition and fears that the state crackdown will continue.
In September, a senior Chadema Party official was kidnapped and brutally killed in amid a wave of kidnappings by government critics.
In the November local elections, Shadema said thousands of candidates were banned from attending. The ruling party won about 98% of the seats.
The government dismissed the suggestion that elections were not free and fair, saying they were held under the rules.
But for Lissu, local elections proved his call for reform ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls.
The campaign group Human Rights Watch also expressed similar fears and urged the government to end the political repression.
The Catholic Church has added voices to demand the unconditional release of Lissu and fair elections.
But the arrests of opposition politicians continue, despite Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa's pledge that authorities would ensure safety and fairness in polls earlier this month.
The BBC has reached out to the government for comment.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has given Tanzanians greater political freedom after taking office after his predecessor John Magufuli took office in 2021.
However, Tanzanian political analyst Nicodemus Minde said Tanzania once again “started to see waves of repression and state-planned violence.”
It was in that era that Lissu survived the assassination attempt.
Government accused of suppressing opposition [AFP]
Lissu said before his arrest that his party listed “the minimum but critical reforms that must be carried out to ensure free elections”.
His lawyer Amsterdam told the BBC that this includes “a truly independent national election commission formed, a member of the government that has nothing to do with it” – which must be clarified in the Constitution.
Chadema also requires that when there is an election dispute, the burden of proof should be on the committee’s statement that voting is free and fair.
Lissu's strategy came at a heavy price, and Chadema, as a faction within the party, known as the G-55, took a gentle stance.
It called on the party to hold elections when it held talks with the government on its demands.
This is the approach Act-Wazalendo, the second largest opposition party, took.
Along with 16 marginal opposition parties, it signed the code of conduct. Only Chadema refused.
Lissu appears to see neighboring Kenya – a massive protest last year forced the government to revoke plans to increase taxes – as a role model.
At the time, he told the BBC [its] Democratic distribution is what we need to do.
Whether this strategy will work, as many Tanzanians seem reluctant to publicly support a campaign that may harass the government.
But Mr Amsterdam said the more tenacious the government is, the more it will stimulate the supporters of Chadema to “go forward and civil disobedience”.
He added that Chadma will use “all legal and political tools” to achieve change.
But political analyst Thomas Kibwana criticized Lissu's strategy, saying that with the term of office of the incumbent parliament ending in June, there is not enough time for any major reforms before the October election to have a legal impact on any major reforms.
He said Shadema would better wait until after the election.
Fulgence Massawe, director of Tanzanian legal rights, told the BBC that Chadema's promotion of election reform faces major obstacles, but the party has the right to go to court to challenge its exclusion from the election.
Mr Minde said that if Chadema is still turned away, the ruling party could increase its vast majority in parliament.
Analysts added that Shadema might even lose his position as the main opposition party, “of course, naturally, may seize this opportunity.”
Lissu and the party choose to take risks.
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