Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu has been granted the right to represent himself in his treason trial after prison authorities reportedly denied him private access to his legal team.
Lissu, who was arrested on April 9, faces treason charges stemming from a speech at a public rally where he called for electoral reforms ahead of the upcoming general elections scheduled for October.
His party, Chadema, has long criticized the lack of an independent electoral commission and electoral laws that it says unfairly benefit the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed Tanzania since independence in 1961.
Speaking in court on Monday, Lissu said he had been forced to communicate with his more than 30 lawyers via phone in a cramped room, raising concerns about possible surveillance or recordings.
“Today marks the 68th day since I was charged, and my lawyers have still not been allowed to meet me in private,” he said.
Chief Magistrate Franco Kiswaga of Kisutu Court in Dar es Salaam approved Lissu’s request to represent himself and said he may engage directly with prosecutors unless he decides to reappoint legal counsel.
The magistrate also urged the prosecution to conclude its investigations and set July 1 as the date for the hearing to begin.
Lissu also raised concerns about his treatment in detention, saying he has been denied access to religious services and is being held in a section of the prison reserved for death row inmates, despite not having been convicted.
Human rights groups have condemned what they describe as the Tanzanian government’s crackdown on opposition voices.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration has rejected these accusations.
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