Tanzania: Opposition leader Tundu Lissu begins hunger strike in prison

Tundu Lissu, leader of Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema, began a hunger strike in prison on Monday to demand private meetings with his lawyers. Chadema says the High Court ruled the previous week that Lissu’s constitutional right to such meetings had been violated, but prison authorities have not implemented the decision. He has been detained since his arrest in April 2025 and is awaiting a verdict in a treason trial, a charge punishable by death. He was arrested after allegedly urging the public to boycott the 2025 elections.