Tanzania’s jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu plans to start a hunger strike on Monday. His lawyer said the action aims to protest prison authorities refusing to allow court-ordered private consultations.
Rugemeleza Nshala spoke to journalists in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, stating that Lissu informed him of the planned strike during a recent prison meeting.
Nshala warned his client about the physical risks. Lissu relies on daily medication and indicated he was prepared to stop taking those drugs.
“I am ready to face the consequences, but I will fight for the rule of law,” Nshala quoted Lissu as saying.
The lawyer stated that authorities had ignored a court order guaranteeing private meetings. On certain occasions, prison staff barred access to the politician completely.
Lissu questioned the selective enforcement of judicial rulings. Court orders keeping him locked up were enforced immediately while orders protecting his legal access were disregarded.
Prison authorities, police, and the Tanzanian government issued no public statements regarding the planned protest.
Lissu leads Chadema, the country’s main opposition party. He has been detained for more than eighteen months and faces a treason charge that carries a possible death sentence.
The opposition figure survived an assassination attempt in 2017 when he was shot 16 times. He was arrested on April 9 last year after addressing a rally that demanded electoral reforms before the general election, and was charged with treason the next day.
He previously launched a hunger strike in May last year to protest being forced to attend court proceedings remotely instead of in person. A final judgment in his current case is scheduled for November 6.
