TANZANIA: FOUR GET DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING CHADEMA OFFICIAL
December 28, 2020: Four people charged in Tanzania with the murder of former Chadema Geita regional chairman Alphonce Mawazo were on 24 December 2020 given death sentence after the High Court found them guilty. The verdict was handed down by the High Court Mwanza Zone, which was sitting in the Geita Resident Magistrate’s Court. The sentence was read by senior magistrate Frank Mahimbali who has the powers to hear murder cases for the High Court in the area. He said, based on the evidence presented in the court by witness number four and number nine on prosecution, the court was satisfied that all four defendants intentionally committed the murder. The convicts were Alfan Apolnari, Epafra Zakaria, Hashimu Sharif and Kalulinda Bwire who were facing murder case number nine of 2019. One defendant Habibu Feruzi, was acquitted on 14 December 2020 after the court ruled that evidence presented was weak and the court found he had no case to answer. Mawazo was killed in 2015 following violence in the hall where Chadema members, including Mawazo, were attending. Defence attorney Laurent Bugoti said the defendants had a chance to appeal. (Sources: The Citizen, 25/12/2020)
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