Courtroom chaos! Women faint, cry as starving Tundu Lissu tells judges he’s denied food
The High Court of Dar es Salaam was plunged into a scene of absolute pandemonium on Thursday, February 12, 2026, as Tanzania’s most prominent opposition figure, Tundu Lissu, claimed that the state is using hunger as a weapon in his ongoing treason trial.
Proceedings were brought to a screeching halt when Lissu, who is facing charges that carry a mandatory death sentence, informed a three-judge bench that he had been denied a meal by prison authorities.
You might also like
Visibly weakened, the CHADEMA chairman declared that he lacked the physical stamina to continue representing himself against the state’s heavy-duty prosecution team.
“Wana pesa zangu na inapofika muda wa kula wananinulia chakula lakini mpaka, sasa sijala sio kwamba pesa hakuna ila ni mambo ya kutesa tesa watu,” Tundu Lissu said.
As Lissu detailed his ordeal, the public gallery erupted.
Dramatic videos shared online show numerous women wailing in distress, with several fainting and being carried out of the courtroom by fellow supporters.
The emotional outburst forced security guards to struggle for control as the “Rais! Rais!” (President! President!) chants that usually greet Lissu turned into cries of mourning.
The health crisis comes at the end of a week where Lissu appeared to have the upper hand legally.
On Wednesday, February 11, Judge Dunstan Ndunguru handed Lissu a significant partial victory by ruling that the ‘kizimba’ – a wooden shield used to hide the faces of state witnesses—was unlawful.
The court agreed with Lissu’s argument that hiding witnesses prevented the judges from observing their demeanour, a fundamental requirement for a fair trial.
Beyond the hunger strike allegations, Lissu has used his time in court to lift the veil on his conditions at the Ukonga Maximum-Security Prison.
He claimed that for the past 88 days, he has been barred from seeing his family and party leaders, and that prison wardens routinely listen in on his private consultations with his legal team.
“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Lissu told the court earlier this week, noting he has been in custody for 307 days while the prosecution has managed to bring only a handful of witnesses.
The trial is scheduled to resume on Friday, February 13, 2026, but with tensions boiling over in the streets and inside the courtroom, the proceedings have become a high-stakes litmus test for Tanzania’s judicial independence and human rights record.
