HRF condemns the prolonged delays in the Tanzanian regimeтАЩs show trial of arbitrarily detained opposition leader Tundu Lissu, and the restrictive detention conditions imposed on him nearly 10 months after he was arrested for calling for democratic reforms. HRF joins calls to unconditionally #FreeTunduLissu.
This week, @TunduALissu, the leader of TanzaniaтАЩs main opposition party CHADEMA, returned before the High Court in Dar es Salaam, nearly three months after his last hearing. During his appearances, Lissu has protested the delays and restrictive conditions imposed on him by Ukonga prison officials, who have barred visits from friends, relatives, and members of his party and have denied him privacy in his meetings with his lawyers.
The trial adjourned today after two delays: one caused by time given to the prosecution to present their next witness and another precipitated by the prison’s failure to feed Lissu on the day of his court appearance.
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025 after launching a #NoReformsNoElection campaign, which demanded changes to the electoral system to ensure free and fair polls. CHADEMA was excluded from the October 2025 elections, which took place amid an internet blackout and were followed by a bloody crackdown on protests after President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared the winner with more than 97% of the vote.
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