The president of Tanzania, John Magufuli has come under criticisms for pardoning two child rapists.
On Saturday the Tanzanian President announced the decision to pardon the two rapists when he addressed the nation in a speech to mark the country’s independence anniversary.
The two rapists, Singer Nguza Viking, and his son Johnson Nguza, were convicted for raping 10 primary schoolgirls.
They were part of some prisoners selected by the president to be set free on such an occasion.
Magufuli said these two rapists and those on the list of pardoned prisoners have had a change of attitude and deserve to be set free.
But Kate McAlpine who is the director of Community for Children Rights in northern Tanzania, told the BBC that she was “horrified” by the President’s decision.
She is quoted by the BBC as saying that Magufuli “has a blind spot when it comes to recognising children as victims. There seems to be a punitive attitude towards young children.”
The released prisoners were sentenced to life in prison for raping 10 girls in 2003 aged between six and eight years. They have served 13 years of their jail term.
Their victims were pupils at a primary school in the Tanzanian city Dar es Salaam.
They had served 13 years of their sentence when they were released on Saturday.
Source: Africafeeds.com
