Tanzania’s jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu has ended a brief hunger strike after prison authorities allowed him to meet privately with his lawyers, according to his legal team.
Lissu, who leads the opposition CHADEMA party, remains in detention on treason charges that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted.
His detention has attracted international attention amid concerns about political freedoms and human rights in Tanzania.
Tundu Lissu ends hunger strike after lawyer meeting
Lissu reportedly refused food after prison authorities prevented his lawyers from meeting him privately.
According to his lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, the opposition leader ended his protest on Tuesday after being allowed to meet his legal representatives.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Nshala said Lissu had refused tea, breakfast and lunch.
However, accounts of when the hunger strike began have differed.
CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia said Lissu started refusing food on Monday.
Meanwhile, Nshala said the protest began on Tuesday morning after arrangements for private legal consultations failed.
Tanzania’s prisons service denied that Lissu had been on hunger strike, telling local newspaper Mwananchi that he was safe.
His lawyer had previously expressed concern about his health, noting that Lissu requires medication.
Opposition leader faces treason charges
Lissu was arrested in April 2025 after addressing a political rally calling for electoral reforms.
Prosecutors accused him of delivering a speech encouraging the public to rebel and disrupt the country’s general election.
He was subsequently charged with treason.
The offence carries a possible death sentence under Tanzanian law.
Lissu has pleaded not guilty, while his lawyers maintain that the charges are politically motivated.
A court judgement is expected on November 6.
The opposition politician previously survived an assassination attempt in 2017, when he was shot 16 times.
He later returned to political activity and finished second in Tanzania’s 2020 presidential election.
Tanzania faces scrutiny over political freedoms
Lissu’s detention has intensified concerns about Tanzania’s political environment.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has faced criticism over the treatment of opposition figures and reports of abductions involving government critics.
However, Tanzanian authorities have rejected allegations of widespread human rights abuses.
The government maintains that it respects fundamental rights and has previously ordered an investigation into reported abductions.
That investigation was announced in 2024, although its findings have not been made public.
Lissu’s case has become a major point of contention between the government and opposition groups.
CHADEMA announces mourning period after election violence
The latest developments come as Tanzania prepares to mark the anniversary of its disputed October 2025 election.
On Tuesday, CHADEMA announced seven days of mourning, beginning Thursday and continuing until November 4.
The opposition party said the commemorations would honour people killed during violence following the election.
A government-appointed inquiry found that at least 518 people died in the unrest.
CHADEMA has placed the death toll at approximately 2,000.
However, the United Nations said it could not independently verify the opposition’s figure.
The differing estimates highlight continuing disagreements over the scale of the violence.
What happens next for Tundu Lissu?
Attention is now turning to the expected November 6 judgement in Lissu’s treason case.
A conviction could carry severe consequences for one of Tanzania’s most prominent opposition politicians.
Meanwhile, his supporters continue to question the circumstances of his detention and the broader political environment.
The government has maintained that it respects human rights, while opposition figures have called for greater political freedoms.
For now, Lissu remains in custody as Tanzania awaits the court’s decision.