Prominent government critics across Africa are facing treason charges. It’s often to silence them

Veteran Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu was acquitted of treason charges on Friday but sentenced to four years in prison for inciting others to disrupt last year’s elections. The case has sparked concerns that similar tactics are being used across Africa to silence opposition leaders and critics. In Uganda, Kizza Besigye was abducted in Kenya and brought back to face allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, while in Zambia, opposition figures were arrested on treason charges following an election marred by human rights abuses.

In Congo, former President Joseph Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia, with Human Rights Watch describing the trial as a "political vendetta."

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