Lissu lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala said the accusations against his client were politically motivated.
A court in Tanzania charged the leader of the Tundu Lissu Opposition Party of betrayal after his arrest during a public rally in which he called for electoral reforms.
The charges against Chadema’s party president will make new control to President Samia Suluhu Hassan for re -election in October while criticism accuse the government of repressing the opposition.
The opposition chief was forced to a police vehicle late Wednesday after finishing speaking to a public rally in Mbinga in southern Tanzania.
“I came here, we held a peaceful meeting and now I understand the police tactics. We are now clear about the situation. I will not enter the vehicle. There is no need. We are going to sleep here. What is the problem? ” Asked the police for a few moments before his supporters were gassed.
Thursday afternoon, Lissu arrived at the magistrate court of the residents of Kisutu in the commercial capital Dar-Es-Salaam, comparing in a good mood and in the company of his lawyers and politicians of the opposition party.
However, he was not allowed to plead a plea on the betrayal load.
He pleaded not guilty to a separate accusation of publication of false information and must be back in court on April 24.
Lissu lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala said the accusations against his client were politically motivated.
“You cannot separate these policy charges,” Nshala told the Reuters news agency.
“He was campaigning to educate the supporters of Chadema, but they transformed him into accusations.”
According to the accusation sheet, Lissu, which survived a bullet, killed 16 times during an assassination attempt in 2017, comments in question in Dar-Es-Salaam on April 3.
The accusation sheet said it saying: “It is true that we say that we will prevent the elections. We will inspire the rebellion. This is the way of obtaining the change.”
“So we are going to spoil this election. We will really disturb.
Hassan won applause after his power in power in 2021 for having relaxed the repression of political opponents and media censorship that proliferated under his predecessor John Maguli, who died in office.
But it faced growing criticism from human rights activists concerning a series of unexplained arrests and abductions and murders of political opponents.
Hassan said the government was determined to respect human rights and that it had ordered an investigation into the kidnappings reported last year.
