TANZANIA: UKONGA DEATH ROW INMATES ON DAY 6 OF HUNGER STRIKE

December 11, 2008: it is almost one week since a number of death row inmates at Ukonga Prison in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, began a hunger strike to press for a last-ditch review of their sentences by the Court of Appeal.
A total of ten prisoners participated, although one of them gave up along the way: Salehe Ramadhani Juma, Iddi Muhidini, Bartholomeo Kanuti, Mwita Sigori, Ngenya, Saidi Omari Kipiano, Ramadhani Makuka and Bakari Hussein. The ninth inmate, Reiza Massinga, is said to have already lodged an appeal with the Court of Appeal, but it has not been heard so far. Unlike the other death row inmates, Massinga was to serve a normal sentence.
When contacted for comment on latest developments on December 8, the Principal Commissioner of Prisons, Augustino Nanyaro, would neither deny nor confirm whether the inmates have upheld the strike, but added: “Efforts are still being made to convince the prisoners to eat.”
A source within the Ukonga Prison management set-up indicated that the striking inmates were irritated by the slow pace at which authorities have been conveying judgment and appeal documents that are necessary for lodging appeals. (Sources: This Day, 11/12/2008)