Tanzania
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist de facto
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Murder and treason are capital crimes
- News items in the archive
- 153
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Tanzania is classified as Abolitionist de facto in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 153 news items on Tanzania, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
APRIL 13, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: COURT OF APPEAL UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR CARPENTER IN LOVER’S MURDER CASE
The Court of Appeal in Arusha, Tanzania, on April 10, 2026, dismissed the appeal of Alex Julius, upholding the death sentence previously handed down by the High Court.
APRIL 10, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Tundu Lissu, 1 year in prison
APRIL 9, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Update on the Tundu Lissu case
Statement by 6 Members of the European Parliament
MARCH 31, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: APPEAL COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE IN PRIVATE PARTS MUTILATION MURDER
The Court of Appeal of Tanzania on March 26, 2026 upheld the death sentence for Mulabu Muya (also reported as Mulaby Muya), found guilty of a particularly brutal murder committed in 2022.
MARCH 19, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: WOMAN HAS SENTENCE QUASHED AFTER OVER A DECADE ON DEATH ROW
A woman with severe intellectual disabilities in Tanzania has had her conviction and death sentence quashed after spending more than a decade in prison awaiting execution.
MARCH 16, 2026TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR BABATI MAN OVER STEPSON’S MURDER
The Court of Appeal of Tanzania on March 16, 2026 upheld the death sentence for Emmanuel Safari, a resident of the Babati District.
DECEMBER 16, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: THREE IMMIGRATION OFFICERS SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER KIGOMA KILLING
Three immigration officers, Fredrick Kyomo, Joachim Trathizius, and Mabruki Hatibu, on December 15, 2025 were sentenced to death for the murder of Enos Elias
DECEMBER 8, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Updates on the Tundu Lissu case
Tanzania, an important East African country with over 70 million inhabitants
- NOVEMBER 27, 2025GambiaDEATH PENALTY
AFRICA - 85th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
No record shows that the question of Tundu Lissu in Tanzania was raised
- NOVEMBER 13, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA - Update on the case of Tundu Lissu
Political leader on death row in Tanzania
- NOVEMBER 2, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA - Update on the case of Tundu Lissu, a political leader who is on death row in Tanzania. Plus, a glimpse of Africa
Italian schoolchildren are stranded in Tanzania due to post-election unrest
- OCTOBER 28, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA - The Tundu Lissu case and the elections on 29 October
SEPTEMBER 3, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA - Update on the situation of Tundu Lissu
Lissu's vicissitudes brought to the Venice Film Festival
- AUGUST 28, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania - Free Tundu Lissu
The leader of Chadema is on death row: who will save the man who dreams of a different Tanzania?
- JULY 30, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania - Update on the Tundu Lissu affair
- JULY 15, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA - Update on the Tundu Lissu case
Opposition leader arrested on vague charges
- JUNE 19, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
Tanzania - Lissu, nonviolent opposition leader, faces death sentence
On summary charges of ‘high treason”
- MARCH 23, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA: MAN TO BE HANGED FOR MURDERING HIS GIRLFRIEND
The High Court of Tanzania in Moshi on March 10, 2025 sentenced 32-year-old Erasto Mollel to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Josephine Mngara, 30.
- MARCH 5, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA: APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAN INVOLVED IN MOB KILLINGS
The Court of Appeal of Tanzania on February 25, 2025 upheld the death sentence of Rhobi Chacha, a resident of the Mara region, for his role in the murder of two people accused of theft.
FEBRUARY 27, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: BUSINESSMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERING, BURNING HIS WIFE
The High Court in Dar es Salaam Zone has sentenced businessman Khamis Luwonga (38) to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering his wife, Naomi Marijani.
- FEBRUARY 9, 2025TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
AFRICAN COURT ORDERS TANZANIA TO END MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has ruled against Tanzania’s mandatory imposition of the death penalty, calling it a violation of fundamental human rights.
DECEMBER 25, 2024TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: TRIO SENTENCED TO DEATH IN KAGERA DURING 2024
Three people have been sentenced to death by hanging in Kagera region, Tanzania, during 2024 after they were convicted of murder.
- JUNE 10, 2024TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
AFRICAN COURT GIVES TANZANIA SIX MONTHS ULTIMATUM TO SCRAP DEATH PENALTY
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has reiterated its longstanding order to Tanzania to revoke the death penalty in line with the continental charter on the right to life, The East African reported on June 6, 2024.
APRIL 4, 2024TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: SIX COMMUNITY PATROL GUARDS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
A court in Babati on March 5, 2024 sentenced six members of a community patrol, known as ‘Sungusungu’, to death for the brutal murder of a man they accused of cattle theft.
FEBRUARY 12, 2024TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER MURDER
The High Court of Kigoma on February 2, 2024 sentenced Kigoma Ujiji municipal resident Peter Mwandelema to be hanged to death after being found guilty of intentionally killing seven people of the same family in 2022.
DECEMBER 21, 2023TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: SIX PEOPLE SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER CHURCH BOMBING
Six people found guilty of bombing a Catholic church in Arusha, northwestern Tanzania in 2013 have been sentenced to death.
OCTOBER 15, 2023TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: GOVT CONTEMPLATES ABOLISHING CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
The Tanzanian government is contemplating on coming up with an alternative to capital punishment, after considering views from various stakeholders, majority of them considering it as inhumane in nature.
DECEMBER 6, 2022TanzaniaDEATH PENALTYTANZANIA: ELEVEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING CONSERVATIONIST
A court in Tanzania on 2 December 2022 sentenced 11 people to death over the 2017 murder of renowned anti-poaching activist Wayne Lotter.
- OCTOBER 11, 2022TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA: TAMCODE RECOMMENDS ABOLITION OF MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY
The Tanzania Media for Community Development (TAMCODE) has recommended amendment of the Penal Code to give judges the discretion to hand over life imprisonment sentences instead of the death penalty in capital offences.
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2021TanzaniaDEATH PENALTY
TANZANIA: TRIO SENTENCED TO DEATH IN MURDER CASE
Three people have been sentenced to death after they were found guilty of killing four people, Daily News reported on 29 September 2021.