Source: European Parliament
with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
Catarina Vieira, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Mounir Satouri, Maria Ohisalo, Mélissa Camara, Ville Niinistö
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.
B10‑0260/2025
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
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Tanzania
– having regard to Rule 150 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 9 April 2025, Tanzanian police arrested Tundu Lissu, chairperson of the main opposition party Chadema; whereas during the arrest, police used excessive force and violence to disperse the surrounding supporters;
B. whereas following the arrest, police charged Lissu with three offences, including the capital offence of treason, in relation to social media posts calling to boycott the forthcoming elections as part the demand for electoral reforms; whereas human rights organisations consider these charges fabricated and the trial politically motivated;
C. whereas Amnesty International documented that on 24 April 2025 police beat up and arrested dozens of people who tried to access the court of Lissu’s case hearing, reportedly leading to the death of one person;
D. whereas Tanzania is slated to have parliamentary elections in October 2025; whereas the ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi has retained power for over 60 years;
E. whereas Tanzania’s ranking in Freedom Houses’ Freedom index was downgraded in 2025 from “partly free” to “not free”; whereas in 2024 UN human rights experts have called on Tanzania to end the ongoing and escalating pattern of human rights violations against opposition political party members, civil society organizations, journalists, Indigenous Peoples and human rights defenders;
1. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Tundu Lissu and urges the Tanzanian government to end all arbitrary arrests and attacks against opposition leaders and government critics ahead of the October 2025 general elections;
2. Calls for a thorough, independent, and impartial investigation into the recent disappearances of government critics and opposition supporters as well as any other allegations of police abuse and misconduct, to ensure that those responsible are to be brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty;
3. Expresses its concerns regarding human rights violations by law enforcement officials, including frequent allegations of unlawful use of force and other human rights violations in the policing of political assemblies; stresses the universality of the freedom of assembly and expression, and urges the Tanzanian authorities to cease the crackdown on peaceful gatherings and the repression of non-governmental organizations; condemns attacks against journalists and human rights defenders in the country and call for an end to any state-sponsored violence against them;
4. Urges Tanzania to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty and commuting all death sentences;
5. Calls on the EU and Member States to step up engagement with the Tanzanian authorities on Lissu’s case and on the other urgent human rights concerns listed above, including in the context of further EU investments in the country; calls on EU and Member States’ delegations to ensure trial observation in the case of Lissu and all others arbitrarily detained;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the President and Parliament of Tanzania.