Jailed Tanzania’s opposition leader Tundu Lissu has begun a hunger strike to protest his inability to access his lawyers.
The Chadema party leader started refusing food on Monday this week after his legal team was barred from entering Ukonga prison, where he is being held.
In a recent decision, Tanzania’s High Court mandated that Lissu be granted the right to consult privately with his legal representatives.
Lissu and his team had previously claimed that their conversations were being monitored by prison staff.
Since April of the previous year, Lissu, who finished second in the 2020 presidential election, has been held on charges of treason.
He faces allegations of urging the public to boycott.ott last year’s elections.
Chadema was prohibited from participating in the October 2025 election, which was ultimately won by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who secured 98 percent of the vote according to official results.
Lissu’s trial is ongoing, with a verdict anticipated on November 6. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
