Treason is punishable by death. The government seeks nothing less than to execute not only a man, but an idea: the idea that Tanzanians deserve free and fair elections, accountable leaders and a state governed by law, not by presidential whim.

Listen to this article 10 min Listen to this article 10 min On 9 April 2025, I was arrested in Mbinga, in Tanzania's deep south, and hauled overnight more than 1,000km to Dar es Salaam. By dawn, I was arraigned on the gravest charge in our law: treason, an offence punishable by death.

For 131 days and counting, I have sat in a maximum-security cell on death row at Ukonga Central Prison, accused not of violence, but of words spoken in public - words demanding democratic reform.

This is not merely my trial. It is a trial of Tanzania's democracy itself.

I was born in Mahambe village in 1967, the seventh of 10 children of a peasant family. From the dusty plains of Singida, I rose to become a lawyer, legislator, and the leader of Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema), Tanzania's largest opposition party. Along the way, I survived assassination attempts, endured dozens of arrests and stood trial repeatedly for crimes I did not commit.

My career has been a running battle with those who wield power in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. I have exposed the killings of artisanal miners at Bulyanhulu. I have fought for Maasai herders...