Jailed Tanzanian opposition leader begins hunger strike
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who was charged with treason last year, has started a hunger strike to protest his inability to access his lawyers, his party said.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu, facing treason charges, has commenced a hunger strike, according to his party. Lissu, who placed second in the 2020 presidential election, began his protest on Monday after his lawyers were barred from visiting him in prison. CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia announced the strike via X, while Tanzania Prisons Service spokesperson Elizabeth Mbezi promised further updates.
Government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa declined to comment. Lissu was charged with treason following a speech allegedly inciting rebellion against the 2021 general election; he maintains his innocence, alleging political motivation. The electoral commission barred CHADEMA from the polls due to non-compliance with a code of conduct.
Protests and unrest followed the election, resulting in at least 518 deaths, with the government attributing the violence to the protesters. Lissu's legal team plans to initiate a hunger strike due to denied privacy during legal consultations, a violation of a court order. The case's verdict is scheduled for November 6. The detention of Lissu, alongside alleged abductions of critics, has drawn attention to President Samia Suluhu Hassan's human rights record, which the government denies and is investigating.
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