By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A magistrate court in Dar es Salaam on Monday ruled that Tanzania’s main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, who has been in detention since April, can represent himself in his treason trial after prison officials denied him access to his lawyers in private.
Lissu, leader of the CHADEMA party, was arrested on April 9 and charged with treason after a rally in which he addressed his supporters, calling for reforms in the electoral system to guarantee the independence of the electoral commission ahead of planned general elections in October.
CHADEMA has repeatedly expressed concern over what it calls the absence of an independent electoral commission and laws that favour the ruling CCM party, which has been in power since Tanzania’s independence in 1961.
During his appearance in court on Monday, the opposition leader told the court that he was being forced to speak to his lawyers through a phone in a small room and was worried that anyone could be listening or recording the conversations.
“I have more than 30 lawyers who I trust very much. Today is the 68th day since I was arraigned and charged with treason, but my lawyers have been repeatedly denied the right to see me in private,” Lissu said.
The chief magistrate at the Kisutu court in Dar es Salaam, Franco Kiswaga, said Lissu would be allowed to engage directly with the prosecution unless he later decides otherwise. He urged the prosecution to speed up investigations and set a hearing date for July 1.
Lissu also protested what he called a denial of basic rights, including the right to worship. He said he was being held in a section of the prison designated for inmates sentenced to death, even though he has not been convicted.
He survived an assassination attempt after being shot 16 times in 2017, three years before the last election.
Human rights activists have accused Tanzania’s government, led by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, of heavy-handed tactics against the opposition, but the government has denied the claims.
