findings from the recently launched Tanzania Human Rights

findings from the recently launched Tanzania Human Rights 2011 report show that there is a need to seek public opinions on the death penalty. The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) Assistant Researcher, Mr Onesmo Olengurumwa, said that 6,000 people have been interviewed. The findings of the report found that 75 per cent of the people interviewed admitted that the death penalty is not a good punishment while 74 per cent of the same group recommend life imprisonment as the best alternative to death penalty. As of December 2010, there were 295 men and 11 women on death row. Mr Tete Kafunja, who was on death row for nine years only to be found not guilty in 2009 by the Court of Appeal, said in the report that not knowing when you will be executed was torturous. He said that inmates suspect every prison officer who goes to visit them to be their executioner and that many prisoners suffer from mental and psychological stress. "The LHRC findings show that most of the people are now informed and capable of giving opinions against the death penalty. With this regard, the LHRC advises the state to go back to the public and use open approaches to get public opinion of the death penalty," Mr Olengurumwa said. The 2011 report also cited new trends in human rights violations including the abandonment of children and stealing of infants.