The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has delivered a stern ultimatum to Tanzania, demanding the abolition of the death penalty within six months.
The court’s directive reiterated in judgments on two separate cases, emphasizes that mandatory capital punishment contravenes the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In a ruling from its session in Arusha, the court addressed the cases of Nzigiyimana Zabron, a Burundi national, and Dominick Damian, a Tanzanian, both convicted murderers on death row for 12 years at Butimba Central Prison.
The court reaffirmed its position that the death penalty, a remnant of colonial law, violates the right to life as enshrined in the charter.
Despite the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights’ 1999 resolution urging a moratorium on capital punishment, Tanzania remains among the countries retaining the death penalty in its Penal Code.
While Tanzania last executed a prisoner in 1995, the court’s latest ruling underscores the need for legislative change.
