Opposition leader to make in-person court appearance

A Tanzania court has ordered that an opposition leader, who was charged with treason last month, be brought to court in person after he went on hunger strike to protest against virtual hearings, reports ZimLive.com. Opposition leader Tundu Lissu was arrested on 9 April after calling for electoral reforms before a general election in October and was charged with treason, a charge for which bail isn’t available. Lissu’s party, Chadema, has been outspoken about electoral reforms, arrests and detentions of opposition politicians before the vote in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan is seeking election after serving out her predecessor’s term in office. Chadema officials were arrested last month as they drove to court for a scheduled hearing of Lissu’s treason case. They were later released without being charged. The Magistrate’s Court ordered prison authorities to present Lissu for a hearing of his case on 19 May. The magistrate said that members of the public will be allowed to attend the hearing, unlike last month’s session from which the public was barred by the police. This will be the first time that Lissu will appear in court in person since his arrest. The last hearing was cancelled after he protested against a virtual hearing. Senior lawyer Peter Kibatala, who is one of 31 lawyers on the case, said that they weren’t allowed to speak freely with their client in prison. ‘The last time we were forced to conduct our conversation in English,’ Kibatala said.