# Tanzania’s Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu to Begin Hunger Strike Amid High-Stakes Treason Trial

- Link: https://steshanews.co.ke/tanzanias-opposition-leader-tundu-lissu-to-begin-hunger-strike-amid-high-stakes-treason-trial/
- Published: 2026-10-24T14:39:57+00:00
- Author: STESHA

Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu plans to launch a hunger strike in prison
to protest ongoing restrictions preventing him from having confidential consultations
with his legal team.

The impending protest comes just ahead of a crucial November 6 judgment in his high-
profile treason trial, which carries a potential death sentence upon conviction.

Lissu’s lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, revealed the planned strike following a prison
visit, noting that he had cautioned the opposition leader about the severe health
risks given that Lissu is currently on medication. Despite the warnings, Nshala 
quoted Lissu as saying, _“I am ready to face the consequences, but I will fight 
for the rule of law.”_

The standoff follows an October 16 High Court ruling confirming that prison officers
at Ukonga Prison unlawfully eavesdropped on meetings between Lissu and his lawyers.

While the court ordered authorities to respect attorney-client confidentiality—permitting
only visual security oversight—Nshala alleges that prison officials continue to 
obstruct and outright deny legal consultations.

The legal proceedings stem from Lissu’s outspoken demands for electoral reforms 
ahead of Tanzania’s October 2025 general election. Arrested on April 9, 2025, after
addressing a political rally, prosecutors accused him of publishing online material
intended to derail the polls—charges the opposition figure firmly denies.

Lissu’s prosecution unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying human rights violations
under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration.

Civil society and international monitors have heavily criticized the government’s
crackdown on political opposition, which saw widespread deadly violence and hundreds
of reported fatalities during the 2025 election period.

As the November 6 verdict approaches, international observers remain deeply concerned
over both Lissu’s personal safety and the broader state of democratic freedoms in
Tanzania.

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