Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has declared he will represent himself in his ongoing treason trial, citing repeated violations of his basic legal rights, including being denied access to his lawyers for over two months.
Appearing before a packed courtroom on Monday, Lissu told the judge that since his detention in April, his legal team has been completely barred from meeting or speaking with him. “All the 68 days they have not been allowed to see me or speak to me,” he said. “It is time to step aside and let me do what I must do. From now on I will be my own lawyer.”
Lissu, a prominent figure in the opposition Chadema party, is facing a treason charge that carries the death penalty. This is the most serious charge he has faced in a political career marked by multiple arrests and assassination attempts. He also revealed that, despite not yet being convicted, he has been held in the prison’s death row section, under constant surveillance, and denied his right to worship.
Dressed in a shirt bearing the slogan “No Reforms, No Election,” Lissu reiterated his party’s stance that they will not participate in the upcoming October elections without substantial electoral reforms. Chadema was recently disqualified from the polls after refusing to sign the national electoral code of conduct, further escalating tensions between the opposition and the ruling establishment.
Rights groups including Amnesty International have condemned Lissu’s arrest and called for his immediate and unconditional release. International concerns have grown over what appears to be a renewed clampdown on dissent under President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration, with critics accusing her of reverting to the authoritarian tactics of her predecessor, the late John Magufuli.
In May, two regional activists from Kenya and Uganda were also arrested after traveling to Tanzania to show solidarity with Lissu. They later reported being tortured and sexually abused while in custody, further fueling alarm over human rights abuses in the country.
Lissu’s defiant courtroom appearance underscores growing fears of democratic backsliding in Tanzania as the country heads toward a highly contested election season.
Written By Rodney Mbua
