Tanzanian Opposition Party Raises Concerns: On Friday, Tanzania’s leading opposition party reported that it could not ascertain the whereabouts of its leader, Tundu Lissu, following his transfer from a detention center where he had been held since his arrest on treason charges the week before.
Representatives from the CHADEMA party, along with Lissu’s attorneys and family members, shared their unsuccessful efforts throughout Friday to visit him at a prison in Dar es Salaam, where he has been detained since April 9.
In a public statement, CHADEMA urged the Prisons Service and other relevant government bodies to clarify Lissu’s current situation.
Contrarily, the Prisons Service denied the assertions that Lissu had been moved.
Elizabeth Mbezi, the spokesperson for the Tanzania Prisons Service, remarked, “This information is false and misleading.
We want to assure the public that Tundu Lissu is safe and continues to be held at Keko Prison in Dar es Salaam, in line with national laws and procedures.”
Lissu, who was the second-place finisher in the 2020 presidential election, was charged with treason last week due to allegations that he incited the populace to revolt and disrupt the electoral process through a speech. He has yet to be allowed to enter a plea regarding these allegations.
These charges are likely to renew scrutiny of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s human rights record as she seeks re-election later this year.
Last weekend, the electoral commission declared that CHADEMA would be prohibited from participating in the elections slated for October because of its refusal to endorse a code of conduct while pushing for electoral reforms.
Hassan received praise after taking office in 2021 for alleviating the suppression of political opponents and lifting media censorship that had escalated under her predecessor, John Magufuli, who passed away during his term.
Nonetheless, she has faced mounting criticism from human rights advocates over a series of arrests, as well as reports of unexplained abductions and killings involving political adversaries.
Hassan has maintained the government’s commitment to protecting human rights and has launched an investigation into reported abductions that took place last year.
