Defiant Lissu says ready to pay high price
ingida East Mamber of Parliament Tundu Lissu
What you need to know:
- Speaking at Chadema headquarters a few hours after he was set free, Mr Lissu said since Tanzania is a democratic country, its people, who include politicians, have the right to freedom of expression and assembly.
Dar es Salaam. Singida East Mamber of Parliament Tundu Lissu, who was released yesterday on bail by the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court, said he will continue to fight for democracy regardless of the price he would have to pay.
Speaking at Chadema headquarters a few hours after he was set free, Mr Lissu said since Tanzania is a democratic country, its people, who include politicians, have the right to freedom of expression and assembly.
Mr Lissu said, “Some people think that I like to spend time behind bars but that isn’t true because I have a wife and children. Since Tanzania is a democratic country I believe we have the right to express our views and I will always fight for that.”
Mr Lissu, who is also Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) President, recalled the day when he refused to have his urine samples tested. “They took me from the central police station to my house and after inspecting my house we went straight to the government chief chemist but I refused to have my urine tested because I was charged for incitement, which doesn’t warrant urine testing,” said Mr Lissu.
He was released by the court after spending a week behind bars following his arrest at Julius Nyerere International Airport last Thursday when he was about to board a plane to Kigali, Rwanda. Giving a ruling on bail application yesterday morning, Magistrate Wilbard Mshauri, quashed all arguments by the prosecution, which filed an affidavit blocking the outspoken lawyer’s bail. Magistrate Mshauri noted that there was no records showing that Mr Lissu had breached bail conditions in the past.
He also noted that 18 lawyers who came forward to represent Lissu was a testimony of the kind of a person in the dock.
He has been charged with sedition after addressing a press conference on July 17, in which, among other things, he appealed to the international community to cut aid to President Magufuli’s administration in efforts to press it to respect principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights
