Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu will launch a hunger strike in protest against the conditions of his detention and legal process, his lawyer announced on Saturday.
Lissu, who leads the main opposition party Chadema, is currently on trial for treason — a charge that carries the death penalty in Tanzania. His arrest last month comes just months before the country heads to the polls in a general election scheduled for October.
Speaking to reporters, Lissu’s lawyer Peter Kibatala said the 57-year-old would begin the hunger strike on Sunday or Monday, declaring: “Lissu will be on hunger strike until justice is done… He is ready for whatever will happen to him.”
Kibatala said Lissu is protesting the authorities’ refusal to allow him access to his legal team and family while in custody, as well as the limited public access to his court hearings.
Tensions surrounding the case escalated on 24 April when police officers used force to disperse Chadema supporters gathered outside the court in Dar es Salaam for Lissu’s initial hearing. Lissu refused to appear, objecting to the authorities’ insistence that he attend via video link.
The veteran politician has long been a thorn in the side of the ruling party and has faced multiple arrests in recent years. In 2017, he survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot multiple times.
Chadema has accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of backsliding on political freedoms, alleging that her administration is reviving the heavy-handed tactics used by her late predecessor, John Magufuli.
Earlier this year, Chadema said it would boycott the October elections unless key reforms were introduced, including the creation of an independent electoral commission and safeguards to prevent opposition candidates from being arbitrarily removed from ballots.
The party has since been disqualified from participating in the election after refusing to sign the official electoral “code of conduct.”
