Tanzania - Activists want death penalty abolished

Activists want death penalty abolished. Tanzanian activists are up against the death penalty clause that has been retained in the second draft unveiled to President Jakaya Kikwete by the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) a fortnight ago. According to Article 72 (1) (k): “The president in his position as the Head of State shall have the power and duties to, among others, (k) endorse the execution of the death penalty as issued in accordance to the laws of the country.” Annah Mghwira, a human-rights activist said that the clause contradicts Article 24, which guarantees one’s right to life and protection from the state and the community in accordance with the laws of the country. She said that they are weighing options to push through the Constituent Assembly due to convene next month to abolish the capital sentence. The Legal and Human Right Centre executive director Dr Helen Kijo said that members of the Constituent Assembly ought to amend the article and replace the death penalty with life imprisonment. Statistics from Tanzania Prison Services show that as of October 15, 2013, there were 364 inmates on death row. 86 of the death row inmates have appealed before the Court of Appeal. In the first post-Independence government, a few death sentences were carried out. However, presidents Benjamin Mkapa and Kikwete have never signed an execution order.