NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Tanzania’s opposition leader charged with treason appeared in court for the first time in months on Monday, but the hearing was adjourned yet again after he opposed the prosecution's plan to have secret witnesses appear in a special enclosed cell.
Opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been in prison for 10 months after he was arrested following an opposition rally in which he called for constitutional and electoral law reforms before last year’s disputed election.
Lissu, who is representing himself in the case, said the punishment for treason is death and that secret witnesses in enclosed cells pose a huge risk and are likely to result in an unjust outcome for the case.
Judges said a decision on the objection would be delivered to the court on Wednesday.
Tanzania’s October 2025 election led to days of protests, the internet was shut down for days, hundreds of people were killed, and thousands of protesters were arrested.
The East African country, a largely peaceful nation, saw its first major wave of violence, which was blamed on foreigners by President Samia Suluhu, who won a second term with more than 97% of the vote, with no major opposition candidate in the running.
Suluhu apologized to diplomats for the internet shutdown and said it would never happen again. She then formed a commission of inquiry, which she said would champion reconciliation, but the main opposition party, Chadema, has been calling for justice for the families whose kin died in the protests.
Chadema deputy party leader, John Heche, on Monday called for the “unconditional release” of Lissu, alleging that Tanzanian authorities had proposed releasing him from prison on condition that he leave the country.
Lissu, whose party did not participate in the October election, has been protesting the slow judicial process, with his case yet to be determined despite his arrest in April 2025.
Last year, he told the court he would represent himself because of frustration with prison authorities, who he said were not allowing him to confer with his lawyers in private.
Lissu is the most visible of Tanzania’s fierce critics of the ruling CCM Party, which has been in power since independence. He survived an assassination attempt in 2017 and was in and out of exile until last year, when he campaigned for reforms ahead of the election.
Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu, far right, gestures with supporters at the High Court of Tanzania as his treason trial continues before a three-judge bench in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Monday, Feb 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu arrives at the High Court of Tanzania as his treason trial continues before a three-judge bench in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Monday, Feb 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Florence Majani)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Third baseman Caleb Durbin was traded to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player deal with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday after finishing third in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting last year.
Milwaukee acquired left-handers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton from Boston for Durbin and infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler. The Red Sox also are receiving a competitive balance round B pick in July's amateur draft, about 67th overall.
Durbin, who turns 26 on Feb. 22, could fill Boston’s opening at third base created when Alex Bregman left as a free agent to sign a $175 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.
The Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras to play first base, and Durbin can play second or third. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said the team hadn’t decided where Durbin would play but said he expects him to be a regular starter.
“We’re just excited about getting a really good player into the organization, and we’ll figure out where he fits best,” Breslow said. “It just doesn’t feel like it makes sense to commit to anything right now.”
The 5-foot-7 Durbin batted .256 with a .334 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 18 steals in 136 games while helping the Brewers win a third straight NL Central title and reach the NL Championship Series last season.
Milwaukee acquired Durbin and left-hander Nestor Cortes from the New York Yankees for closer Devin Williams.
The Brewers had the third- and fourth-place finishers in the voting for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year award that went to Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, but neither player remains with the organization. Outfielder Isaac Collins, who finished fourth in the balloting, went to Kansas City along with pitcher Nick Mears in a December trade that brought left-handed pitcher Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee.
Durbin’s exit from Milwaukee leaves the Brewers with an apparent opening at third. Joey Ortiz was the Brewers’ starting third baseman in 2024 but shifted to shortstop last season. Hamilton, among the players coming over from Boston, played one game at third base last year but primarily has worked at second base and shortstop.
Jett Williams, one of the players Milwaukee acquired in a Jan. 22 trade that sent two-time All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets, also will get some reps at third base this spring training. Williams has played second base, shortstop and the outfield in the Mets organization.
Sal Frelick worked out at third base in spring training in 2024 but won a Gold Glove in right field that year and has remained in the outfield ever since.
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said the abundance of infield prospects in Milwaukee's talent-laden farm system made the team feel good enough about their long-term future to make this deal.
“You also start looking at the future here with Jesus Made, Cooper Pratt and Luke Adams, Luis Peña and Andrew Fischer, there are just a lot of these types of guys coming we feel like in our system who could absolutely handle the left side of the diamond that have really high upsides,” Arnold said. “We feel like we have the ingredients now to weather the loss of somebody like Caleb Durbin, who obviously meant a lot to our franchise. But we feel really good about the infield depth both now and in the future as well.”
Monasterio, a 28-year-old with experience at every infield position, hit .270 with a .319 on-base percentage, four homers and 16 RBIs in 68 games for Milwaukee last season. Seigler, 26, batted .194 with a .292 on-base percentage, no homers and five RBIs in 34 games.
Harrison, 24, was a combined 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA in eight appearances for the Red Sox and San Francisco last year. He came to Boston as part of the 2025 trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco.
Drohan, 27, has never pitched in the majors. He went 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 54 innings in 15 combined appearances with Triple-A Worcester and High-A Greenville last season.
“Harrison’s not that far removed from being one of the best pitching prospects in the sport,” Arnold said. “Drohan had an outstanding year last year in Triple-A. Both those guys are really exciting for us to add.”
Hamilton, 28, hit .198 with a .257 on-base percentage, six homers, 19 RBIs and 22 steals for Boston last year. That followed a 2024 season in which he batted .248 with a .303 on-base percentage, eight homers, 28 RBIs and 33 steals in 98 games.
Milwaukee selected Hamilton out of Texas in the eighth round of the 2019 draft, then traded him to the Red Sox in 2021.
“Hamilton’s a guy we know very well,” Arnold said. “He’s an elite baserunner. He's really fast. He's a really good defender. He's an exciting player.”
AP Sports Writer Jimmy Golen in Boston contributed to this report.
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Boston Red Sox's David Hamilton during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
FILE - Boston Red Sox pitcher Kyle Harrison delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game, Sept. 20, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, file)
FILE - Milwaukee Brewers' Caleb Durbin celebrates after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning in Game 3 of baseball's National League Championship Series, Oct. 16, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
