Opposition leader Tundu Lissu begins hunger strike in Tanzanian prison — Daily Maverick

In Tanzania, CHADEMA opposition party leader Tundu Lissu has begun a hunger strike. Daily Maverick reports that, according to the party, he has refused food since Monday after his lawyers were denied entry to the prison where he is being held.

Reasons for the hunger strike

CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia announced the start of the hunger strike on social media platform X. The party's chief legal adviser, Rugemeleza Nshala, told journalists that Lissu had planned the protest over the lack of privacy during conversations with his defence lawyers. According to him, this violates a court ruling.

Tanzania Prisons Service spokesperson Elizabeth Mbezi said the service would soon provide updated information about Lissu. Government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa did not respond to a request for comment.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Treason case

Lissu, who came second in the 2020 presidential election, was charged with treason last year. Prosecutors claim the charges were based on a speech in which he allegedly called on the public to rise up and disrupt the general election. The politician pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer called the case politically motivated.

Tanzania's electoral commission barred CHADEMA from participating in the election because the party did not sign a code of conduct. The election was accompanied by protests and unrest. A government commission of inquiry said that post-vote violence claimed at least 518 lives, placing responsibility on protesters. The court is due to announce its decision in Lissu's case on November 6.