Tanzania: Upholding Death Sentences for Prominent Islamic Preacher and Five Others

Sudanhorizon – Ali Al-Basir
The Republic of Tanzania has closed one of the longest and most complex terrorism cases trial in its modern judicial history.
On July 27, 2016, the Arusha Court of Appeal upheld the death sentence by hanging against Sheikh Jaafri Hashim Lemma, the imam of the Quba Mosque in Arusha, and five of his associates: Sheikh Abshari Hassan, Sheikh Yusuf Ali, Sheikh Ramadan Hamadi, Sheikh Abdul Hassan Juma, and Sheikh Qasim Idrisa. This followed the rejection of the appeal against the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The case stems from a bombing that targeted St. Joseph the Worker’s Church in the Olasiti area of Arusha on May 5, 2013, during the installation of a Catholic bishop. The attack resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to more than fifty others.
The accused were arrested in 2014 and charged under Tanzania’s 2002 Anti-Terrorism Act, with offenses including conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, murder resulting from a terrorist act, and other related criminal charges.
The trial lasted over thirteen years, during which dozens of witnesses testified, and forensic evidence, statements, and confessions were presented. The court found some of these evidence corroborated by physical evidence and other testimonies. The trial concluded with the conviction of several key defendants, while acquitting others or handing down varying sentences based on the court’s assessment of their individual culpability.
Following the convictions, the Tanzanian Council of Imams, in coordination with the families of the convicted men, appealed to the Court of Appeal in January 2024. However, the court rejected the appeal and upheld the convictions in July 2026, making the sentences final and subject to the regular judicial process.
A statement issued by the Council of Imams indicated that the six men sentenced to death join fourteen other Muslim clerics already sentenced death in separate cases in various Tanzanian prisons, including those in Dar es Salaam, Tanga, and Mtwara.
Sheikh Jaafri Hashim Lemma is one of Tanzania’s most prominent Muslim preachers, known for his sermons and lectures in Swahili and his extensive work in Islamic outreach and education, which earned him a wide following within the country’s Muslim community before his arrest.
The case has garnered significant attention both within Tanzania and internationally due to the length of the legal proceedings and the sensitive nature of the charges. While Sheikh Lemma’s supporters maintain that the case was marred by legal and procedural irregularities and that he was targeted for his religious activities, the judicial authorities assert that the sentences were handed down following a lengthy trial based on evidence and testimonies deemed sufficient by the court to establish the criminal responsibility of the convicted men.
The case of Sheikh Jaafri Hashim Lemma remains one of the most prominent terrorism cases in the history of the Tanzanian judiciary, both in terms of the length of the trial period and the amount of political, media and human rights attention that accompanied it. It also reflects the continued internal debate regarding the balance between the requirements of combating terrorism and the guarantees of a fair trial and the rights of the accused.

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