Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Tanzanian opposition leader and CHADEMA chairman, Tundu Lissu, has alleged that he has been placed in total isolation while in state custody.
In a statement dated October 28, 2025, Lissu claimed that he has been in a “state of forced loneliness” for several weeks, with all his former cellmates removed. He described his previous companions as “all of whom had been sentenced to death,” leaving him “completely alone.”
The allegation represents a significant escalation of Lissu’s detention conditions, raising alarm among human rights observers and opposition supporters.
Reports from April 2025 indicate that Lissu had already been transferred secretly to Ukonga Maximum Security Prison, where harsh solitary confinement measures were reportedly imposed.
Lissu was arrested on April 9, 2025, after attending a political rally advocating electoral reforms. He faces treason charges, a non-bailable offence carrying a potential death sentence, alongside three cybercrime-related offences.
The timing of the statement, just one day before the general election scheduled for October 29, 2025, has intensified scrutiny of Tanzania’s political climate. Analysts suggest that detaining key opposition figures like Lissu aims to weaken political competition.
Lissu, a trained lawyer, has been representing himself in court and challenging the prosecution’s case, reportedly dismantling key pieces of evidence presented by the state.
Human rights groups and international bodies, including Amnesty International and the European Parliament, have repeatedly condemned his detention and called for his unconditional release.
His party, CHADEMA, views the isolation as a deliberate attempt to intimidate and silence one of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s most vocal critics.
Observers note that the situation highlights the deepening political repression ahead of elections in which opposition candidates face severe restrictions.
The case has drawn widespread attention domestically and internationally, with debates over the fairness of Tanzania’s electoral and judicial systems intensifying.
The prolonged nature of Lissu’s trial, combined with reports of forced isolation, underscores the high-stakes environment surrounding Tanzanian politics ahead of the polls.
By Nairobi