The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has issued a groundbreaking ruling requiring Tanzania to eliminate the mandatory death penalty from its legal framework and remove execution by hanging as a method of punishment.
The ruling, delivered on February 5, 2025, follows a case filed by Ladislaus Chalula, a Tanzanian prisoner who was sentenced to death for murder in 1995. The Court found that the mandatory death penalty violates Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right to life. Additionally, it ruled that execution by hanging constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, breaching Article 5 of the Charter.
The Tanzanian government has been given one year from the date of the ruling to amend its laws accordingly. This judgment aligns with previous decisions by the African Court calling for reforms in Tanzania’s capital punishment laws, which remain rooted in colonial-era legislation.
As of May 2023, Tanzania had 691 prisoners on death row, according to official statistics. Although the country has not carried out executions in recent years, the death penalty remains legally in force.
The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), which represented Chalula, has pledged to assist Tanzania in complying with the Court’s decision. PALU’s Chief Executive, Donald Deya, hailed the ruling as a significant victory for human rights and the abolition movement in Africa.
With this decision, Tanzania joins a growing number of African nations facing legal and moral pressure to abolish the death penalty. While 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have already abolished capital punishment, others continue to retain it despite declining execution rates.
The ruling is expected to fuel national and regional debates on criminal justice reforms, with human rights organizations calling on Tanzania to take immediate steps toward compliance.