Tundu Lissu begins hunger strike in Tanzanian prison
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has begun a hunger strike after his lawyers were denied access to the prison where he is being held, according to his party Chadema. He is also protesting a lack of privacy during their meetings, and the verdict in his treason trial is due on 6 November, his party reports.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu began a hunger strike on Monday to protest against being unable to access his lawyers, his party Chadema announced, according to Reuters.
Chadema spokesperson Brenda Rupia said Lissu had stopped eating after his lawyers were refused entry to the prison where he is being held. The party’s legal affairs officer, Rugemeleza Nshala, said on Saturday that Lissu was planning the strike because he was unable to meet his lawyers in private, in breach of a court ruling. Tanzania’s prison service said it would provide an update on the situation soon.
Lissu is facing treason charges over a speech that prosecutors present as a call for rebellion and disruption of the 2025 general election. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer describes the prosecution as political. The verdict is expected on 6 November, the date already announced for the outcome of Tundu Lissu’s treason trial.
The electoral commission had barred Chadema from the election because the party had not signed a code of conduct. The protests and unrest that followed left at least 518 people dead, according to a government-appointed commission of inquiry, which blamed the violence on protesters. The government rejects allegations of widespread human rights abuses.
