TLS plans to educate public on constitution review
TANGANYIKA Law Society (TLS) looks forward to educating the public over constitution review.
Addressing the media in Dar es Salaam, TLS President Harold Sungusia said meeting the donors as stakeholders was important in educating the public on ways to review the constitution that is currently a big agenda in the public.
Elaborating, he noted that TLS saw it necessary to meet the stakeholders so as to get funds to implement resolutions agreed on, adding: “To get a balanced and well researched constitution, TLS wants to educate the public on the constitution and get their opinions including from other stakeholders and this exercise requires money that is sought from the donors.”
Recently, the TLS convened a meeting with Manfredo Fanti, Ambassador of the EU Delegation to Tanzania, his deputy and Tanzania International Arbitration Centre (TIAC) in a discussion that was based on cooperation and how to improve the criminal laws among others in the country.
Mr Sungusia further said they also discussed the death penalty law that has been in the constitution asking for its repeal after a debate in its 21 branches countywide and forward their recommendations to TIAC.
He added: “It is necessary to do so ahead of the 10th October, being the World Day Against the Death Penalty, when world unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society, political leaders, lawyers, public opinion and more to support the call for universal abolition of capital punishment.”
Currently in Tanzania there are two offences which carry the death penalty namely murder and treason, where under section 197 of the Penal Code (Chapter 16), ‘any person convicted of murder shall be sentenced to death.
He also highlighted on discussing the possibilities of taking the country back to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR), saying: “It is one of two continental bodies charged with protecting human rights in Africa and interpreting the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter). We are discussing on rights so that our citizens and institutions can once again file cases at the African Court of Human Rights.”
They also discussed how to improve services of the TLS, which included going digital or use of Information, Communication and Technology in the modern world, keeping off bush lawyers/quacks.
He added: “As we are known to be offering offer free legal aid to the public to access justice, we require funds to dispatch our pool of lawyers to the fields or regions, where the cases are launched and that is why we ask for the support from the donors.”
Equally, he said their discussion was based on asking the donors to offer further education to young Tanzanian lawyers, who are venturing into the field, especially to get scholarships and go for exchange program both for long and short term courses in their countries.
