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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 40470, member: 636"]
Tundu Lissu's legal team asked the United Nations to help free the jailed opposition leader on Friday. The lawyers filed a formal complaint with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Lissu leads Tanzania's main opposition party and came second during the 2020 presidential race. Authorities arrested him last month on treason charges that could result in death. Officials claim he told supporters to stop October's national elections from happening.

Robert Amsterdam represents Lissu and coordinates international pressure for his release. The European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the arrest as politically motivated. Amsterdam plans to ask the US State Department to impose sanctions on Tanzanian officials. He warned prosecutors, judges and police to protect their American assets. The UN group issues opinions but cannot enforce any decisions.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan faces growing criticism about missing government critics. She promises to respect human rights and ordered investigations into unexplained disappearances. Gunmen shot Lissu 16 times during 2017 but nobody faced charges for the attack. Two rights activists from Kenya and Uganda were detained and reportedly tortured after attending court hearings. Lissu appears in court again on Monday for his treason case.
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