Commonwealth suspensions loom as Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu marks one year in prison

London, 16 April 2025 — The Commonwealth has formally warned Uganda and Tanzania to address their human rights problems or face suspension from the organisation. 

In Tanzania, escalating political persecution has culminated in the arbitrary detention of opposition leader Tundu Lissu – a fact confirmed by the UN following an application by Amsterdam & Partners. 

The human rights deterioration in Uganda follows an election marked by repression, in which the government claims that opposition leader Bobi Wine lost.

The Commonwealth warning follows successful applications to the Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to impose immediate suspension measures on the East African states until concrete steps are taken to meet Commonwealth standards, including protection of opposition rights, accountability for political violence and full compliance with international human rights obligations.

Robert Amsterdam, Founder and Managing Partner of Amsterdam & Partners, which acts as international counsel for the National Unity Platform (NUP) of Uganda and Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) of Tanzania, believes that the regimes are responsible for serious and persistent breaches of the Commonwealth Charter.

This includes violations of democratic governance, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the rule of law. These violations also represent a sustained failure to uphold the principles and aspirations enshrined in the Harare Declaration, including free and fair political participation and the protection of fundamental rights.

The Commonwealth has established precedent for suspension in similar circumstances of election-related violence and democratic breakdown, including the suspension of Zimbabwe in 2002.

Amsterdam warns that continued membership without suspension while systemic violations persist risks undermining the authority and credibility of the Commonwealth's own legal and political framework. 

He says: “this is only the beginning, if Tanzania and Uganda do not fully comply with obligations to improve the human rights situation in their respective countries, the Commonwealth must act swiftly.”

Amsterdam continues: “the Commonwealth cannot preserve the authority of the Charter and the Harare Declaration while allowing member states engaged in systemic repression to remain in good standing.

“The Commonwealth has acted before when elections were overshadowed by violence and democratic norms collapsed. Uganda and Tanzania now present precisely the kind of situation that those precedents were designed to address.

“With respect to Tanzania, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has confirmed to us that Tundu Lissu's detention is unlawful under international law. In Uganda, the post-election environment demonstrates ongoing repression and the erosion of any semblance of a democratic space. The Commonwealth must act decisively."

Amsterdam is Partners is an international law firm based in London and Washington, DC. For more information about the two cases, please visit www.freetundu.com and www.bobiwine.com, respectively. For information about the firm, see www.amsterdamandpartners.com.

###