DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Tundu Lissu, Tanzania’s most prominent opposition figure, has begun a hunger strike while in detention on treason charges, escalating an already politically charged case that has drawn condemnation from international human rights groups.
Mr. Lissu, who has long been a vocal critic of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, initiated the protest last week to demand in-person court appearances and greater access to his legal team. His legal representatives say he has been denied adequate communication and has been compelled to attend hearings virtually under conditions they describe as “restrictive and degrading.”
On Monday, a magistrate court in Dar es Salaam ordered that Mr. Lissu be presented physically at a hearing scheduled for May 19, in what lawyers called a modest victory for due process.
The case has become a lightning rod for opposition groups and civil society organizations, many of whom view the charges against Mr. Lissu as politically motivated. “This is not just about one man,” said Maria Nambua, a human rights lawyer. “It is about whether political dissent can survive in Tanzania’s current environment.”
Mr. Lissu was arrested in March upon returning from exile in Belgium, where he had lived since surviving a 2017 assassination attempt that remains unsolved. His reemergence was widely seen as a renewed threat to the political status quo ahead of Tanzania’s 2025 general elections.
Abductions with Political Undertones Surge, Report Finds
The controversy surrounding Mr. Lissu’s detention coincides with the release of a new report that raises broader concerns about political repression in Tanzania.
Titled “The Resurgence of the Unknown Assailants,” the report was unveiled Sunday in Dar es Salaam by the independent watchdog Civic Rights Observatory. It documents a sharp rise in politically linked abductions across the country, particularly during election-related periods in 2022 and 2024.
According to the report, nearly two-thirds of all recorded abduction cases involved individuals linked to opposition politics, activist networks, or critical media. Victims were often taken by unidentified individuals, held without explanation, and later released without formal charges.
“The patterns are too consistent to be coincidental,” said Jamal Kitwana, one of the lead researchers. “These are targeted disappearances with clear political motives.”
Government officials declined to comment on the report, but a spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs previously stated that “all cases of unlawful detention or violence are thoroughly investigated when brought to the authorities’ attention.”
The findings have added to mounting scrutiny of Tanzania’s democratic trajectory under President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who came to power promising reforms and reconciliation after the heavy-handed rule of her predecessor. Critics argue that the recent trend marks a return to coercive tactics.
This comes as the country prepares for another electoral cycle, the twin developments—the high-profile prosecution of Mr. Lissu and the reported rise in politically motivated abductions—have amplified calls for international monitoring and domestic reforms to safeguard political freedoms.
