Tanzanian Opposition Leader Files Complaint with UN Over Detention

 

Tanzanian Opposition Leader Files Complaint with UN Over Detention

Lawyers representing Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu have submitted a complaint to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, seeking international pressure for his release. Lissu, head of Tanzania's main opposition party and 2020 presidential runner-up, was detained last month on charges of treason, a capital offense, after allegedly calling on supporters to disrupt the upcoming October elections.

The Tanzanian government has not responded publicly to the complaint. While President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been praised for easing political repression, recent reports of abductions of critics have raised concerns. Hassan has called her government respectful of human rights and launched investigations into these reports.

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Lissu’s lawyers, including notable human rights advocate Robert Amsterdam, are escalating international efforts, including a petition to the U.S. State Department for sanctions. The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution condemning Lissu’s detention as politically motivated.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian authorities have faced criticism for their treatment of detained rights activists and the alleged torture of foreign activists, with some being abandoned near borders. Lissu is set to appear in court on Monday.