His lawyer says prison authorities allowed private legal consultations on October 27. Lissu remains detained on a treason charge carrying a possible death sentence, with a judgment due on November 6.
Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu ended a brief hunger strike on October 27 after prison authorities allowed him to consult his lawyers privately, his lawyer Rugemeleza Nshala said. Lissu remains detained on a treason charge carrying a possible death sentence.
On October 17, The Citizen reported that a court had ruled in favour of Lissu’s lawyers over prison restrictions. The newspaper said on October 24 that Lissu had threatened a hunger strike over access to lawyers.
In comments to The Associated Press carried by Al Jazeera, Nshala said Lissu ended the strike after lunchtime, following a meeting with his brother. That account accompanied his statement that private access to lawyers had been restored.
Brenda Rupia, spokesperson for Lissu’s opposition Party for Democracy and Progress, known as CHADEMA, said he began refusing food on Monday, October 26, after his lawyers were denied prison entry. Nshala gave a different start time: Tuesday morning, October 27, after promised private consultations failed to take place.
Tanzania’s prisons service denied the hunger-strike reports, telling the Swahili-language daily Mwananchi that Lissu was safe and was not on hunger strike. Nshala had expressed concern about Lissu refusing food because he relies on medication.
Lissu was arrested in April 2025 after addressing a rally calling for electoral reforms. Prosecutors allege that his speech urged the public to rebel and disrupt the 2025 general election. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers say the charge is politically motivated.
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Al Jazeera said Lissu’s detention and alleged abductions of government critics had brought scrutiny of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human-rights record. Her government has rejected accusations of widespread abuses and says it is committed to respecting human rights.
On October 27, CHADEMA announced seven days of mourning, from October 29 through November 4, to mark the anniversary of the 2025 election. The government-appointed inquiry and the party gave different death tolls for the violence that followed the vote.
| Source | Death toll and status |
|---|---|
| Government-appointed inquiry | Found that at least 518 people were killed. |
| CHADEMA | Estimated about 2,000 deaths; the United Nations said it could not verify that figure. |
A judgment in Lissu’s treason case is due on November 6.
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