Tanzania’s main opposition leader, Tundu Lissu, has been granted permission to represent himself in his ongoing treason trial after complaining of being denied private access to his legal team.
Lissu, who was arrested on April 9 after calling for electoral reforms at a public rally, told the court on Monday that prison authorities were only allowing him to speak with his lawyers through a phone in a small room, raising concerns over surveillance.
“I have more than 30 lawyers whom 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,” he said.
Lissu, a senior figure in the opposition party Chadema, has been an outspoken critic of Tanzania’s electoral laws and the lack of an independent electoral commission. His party accuses the ruling CCM, which has held power since independence in 1961, of using unfair laws to maintain control.
Chief Magistrate Franco Kiswaga ruled that Lissu could represent himself and engage directly with prosecutors, though he may still decide to use his lawyers at a later stage. The court set July 1 as the date for the next hearing and urged prosecutors to complete investigations quickly.
Lissu also raised concerns about his treatment in prison, saying he is being held in a section reserved for inmates on death row, despite not being convicted. He further claimed he was being denied basic rights, including the right to worship.
Lissu previously survived an assassination attempt in 2017 after being shot 16 times—an attack that highlighted growing threats to opposition voices in the country.
Human rights groups have criticized the Tanzanian government for its crackdown on political opponents, but authorities under President Samia Suluhu Hassan have rejected the accusations.