New Constitution Crucial for Human Rights in Tanzania

If the second draft of the new constitution was passed by the constitutional review commission, the fight against human rights abuses would have been highly simplified, legal experts have said. The commission chairman, retired chief justice Barnabas Samatta said the draft was prepared to ensure that government institutions work towards protecting and defending justice for all Tanzanians. Samatta said: "if the draft constitution were to be accepted and implemented it would have been more effective compared to the existing document, if it were to be interpreted in a balanced and bold manner, protecting the values of democracy: freedom, equality and justice. He added that LHRC was more needed now than it was in 1995 mainly due to the increase in human rights violations". The government has been accused of human rights violations by some international organisations, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.