Recently, a Member of Parliament for Vunjo (TLP) suggested that the Parliament should table a bill that could lead to the enacting of a law that allows the shooting of robbers on sight. Do you think the MP’s proposal is fair?

NO. I think shooting a robber on sight is not a fair thing. This is because the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania stipulates that no one is guilty until proved by a court of law. Permitting firing squads is like giving the powers of the judiciary to anyone. Enacting such a law would not only create chaos but could also tarnish Tanzania’s good name in the international community and among human rights activists.
Nzoya Mtemi – Businessman.

NO. I think it would be totally unfair to give powers to anyone to shoot criminals on sight, including robbers. This means that a person can engineer the shooting of another person to settle an old score. Or a person can incriminate another simply to make sure that he or she fixes him or her. This will create enmity, which could fuel clan fights and civil disorders. On top of that, no one is over the law in this country so giving someone authority to execute means handing over the powers of the judiciary to that person.
James Mkilya – Accountant.

YES. I see no problem in shooting criminals on sight. This is because the criminals themselves can not spare someone if they see that he or she can endanger their particular mission. We have in some cases lost some of our policemen as a result of shootouts with criminals. Why should we continue pitying them? Some criminals are so cunning that even the courts of law sometimes fail to convict them; hence they are released and continue terrorizing innocent citizens. Others bribe their way to freedom and it is difficult to prove bribes.
Anderson Kiamo – Student.

NO. I think a law to permit firing squads could be very complicated. The way I see it, it could involve the enactment of a number of other laws that would protect the innocent from being executed. The powers to shoot a criminal on sight are just too much because people would seize the opportunity to shoot and kill and then testify that the person shot was attempting armed robbery. It will then be very difficult to prove the innocence of the person.
Eliawasi Mitomingi – Human Rights Activist.

Compiled by Timothy Kitundu.