Dodoma: Speaker orders report on extrajudicial police killings

BY THE GUARDIAN REPORTER.

National Assembly Speaker Anne Makinda has ordered the government to issue a statement on the killing of civilians carried out by police in a bid to clear the air on the matter.

The order came in response to a point raised by Hamad Rashid Mohamed (Wawi, CUF), who sought the Speaker’s guidance following a statement issued by the deputy minister for Home Affairs, Perreira Ame Silima.

Minister Silima had claimed in the statement that some of the killings by police are within legal provisions and as such were not against the law.

“The country’s Constitution provides that the death penalty should be passed by the High Court and needs the President’s signature to be executed. Now the deputy minister says some of the killings by police are legal, I request your guidance,” Hamad Rashid asked.

“In accordance to the Parliamentary Standing Orders, the deputy minister is to furnish the official government stand on the matter,” ordered the Speaker of the National Assembly in response. 

While responding to a supplementary question by Ali Rashid Abdallah (Tumbe, CUF), deputy minister Silima had earlier conceded before the House that on various occasions, police had indeed killed civilians but that the killings of unarmed civilians were in certain cases ‘within the context of the law’.

“Police kill people in different circumstances, but they are operating within the provisions of the law …,” Silima alleged.

He added: “When it is proved that they acted contrary to the law, serious legal measures are taken against them.”

In response, to a question by Khalifa Suleiman Khalifa, (Gando, CUF) who wanted to know the number of such incidents, deputy minister Silima revealed that in the span of two years, 2010 to 2012, 68, civilians were killed by police while 21 officers also lost their lives, bringing the total number of extrajudicial deaths during the period to 89. 

“Following those incidences, 15 police officers were arraigned and faced murder charges for their failure to conform to the laws and guidelines of their offices,” Silima said.

Also, two cases are still in court and four await the Attorney General’s decision while seven others are under investigation and four more are undergoing inquisition, whereas in one other case the charged officer has been set free. 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN: http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=55250