President Jakaya Kikwete has said most Tanzanians are against the abolition of the death penalty.
He was speaking at a dinner on Tuesday night at Saint Effidio community of the Catholic Church in Rome, Italy.
The St Eggidio delegation was led by the founder of the community, history Professor Andrea Riccardi of Rome University and his spiritual assistant Father Matteo Zuppi.
The president said the killings of people with albinism were not only sad but emanated from ignorance in this modern world of science and technology.
Kikwete reiterated his warning that media could not use its freedom for the purpose of distorting peace and destroy national unity.
He said if such media did so they could not be left free to practice their activities without measures being taken against them.
The president said albino killings were one of the major issues that had shamed the country in the shortest period of time, adding that they were brainless killings.
“That people are so stupid to think that if one gets a finger of an albino would get rich, this is unbelievable. But I can assure you that my government is controlling the killings as of now,” said Kikwete.
He said a referendum was once held on albino killings and several people were arrested and some others had been charged and sentenced to death.
Immediately after the president mentioned that some people had been sentenced to death, he was asked to clarify the death penalty issue by the community which is against the penalty.
The president said: “This is a matter which was asked by Justice Nyalali’s Committee. People refused the punishment to be abolished. Tanzania for so long has never hanged people even when the law for hanging them exists, it has just remained on our books. Recently I changed about 75 death sentences to life imprisonment. But still people who have been sentenced to death in our prisons are many, maybe about 200 when I last counted.”
On freedom of the press, Kikwete said his government would continue to care for and maintain the freedom of the press.
But he said media themselves had to correct their mistakes and that their responsibilities alone were part of freedom of press.
The religious community leaders told Kikwete that they love Tanzania because it is an exemplary country where people live in peace and harmony without tribal, religious or racial discrimination.
The president was accompanied by Minister for Agriculture, Food security and Cooperatives Steven Wassira and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Seif Iddi.
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