Tanzania’s jailed opposition leader Tundu Lissu has ended a brief hunger strike after prison authorities allowed him to meet privately with his lawyers, according to his legal representative.

Lissu, who heads the opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (CHADEMA), began refusing food after his lawyers were reportedly denied access to the prison where he is being held.

His lawyer, Rugemeleza Nshala, told The Associated Press that Lissu refused tea, breakfast and lunch before ending the protest following a meeting with his brother and access to legal consultations.

However, accounts of when the hunger strike began differed. CHADEMA spokesperson Brenda Rupia said Lissu started refusing food on Monday, while Nshala told AP that the protest began on Tuesday morning after promised private consultations failed to take place.

Tanzania’s prisons service disputed reports of the hunger strike, telling the Swahili-language newspaper Mwananchi that Lissu was safe and had not stopped eating.

Lissu’s detention has drawn attention to human rights and political freedoms in Tanzania, particularly amid reports of alleged abductions targeting government critics. The government has rejected accusations of widespread abuses and says it remains committed to respecting human rights.

The opposition leader was arrested in April 2025 after addressing a rally calling for electoral reforms. He was subsequently charged with treason over a speech prosecutors allege encouraged the public to rebel and disrupt the country’s general election.

Lissu has denied the charges, while his lawyers maintain that the case is politically motivated. The offence carries a possible death sentence, and a judgment in his case is scheduled for November 6, 2026.

Lissu previously survived an assassination attempt in 2017, when he was shot 16 times. His lawyers have also expressed concern about his health, noting that he relies on medication.

Meanwhile, CHADEMA has announced seven days of mourning beginning October 29 to mark the anniversary of the 2025 general election. A government-appointed inquiry reported that at least 518 people were killed in the violence that followed the vote. CHADEMA estimates the death toll at approximately 2,000, although the United Nations has said it could not verify that figure.

Lissu’s case remains a major focus of attention as questions continue over political opposition, due process and human rights in Tanzania.

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