Calls to reform police mount

CUF national chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba addresses a rally yesterday at Manzese in Dar es Salaam.PHOTO|FILE

Dar es Salaam. Police brutality is in the spotlight as independent political analysts and human right activists join hands with opposition lawmakers in calling for reforms in the force.

The call follows police action here on Tuesday targeting the Civic United Front (CUF) national chairman, Prof Ibrahim Lipumba, and his supporters. CUF members were holding a demonstration to commemorate 14 years of the killings of 21 of its supporters in Zanzibar in post-election protests in 2001. Police brutality has been on the rise in recent times and they have been condemned both inside and outside the country.

London-based human rights organisation Amnesty International has for three consecutive years (2011-2013) given Tanzanian police a negative score in human rights protection. The 2011 and 2012 Amnesty International annual reports condemned impunity in the force. In 2012, Amnesty cited the deaths of more than 20 people from gunshot wounds after police used lethal force to quell demonstrations or to prevent illegal access to mining areas. Three people were killed in Arusha in January after police used live ammunition to disperse opposition supporters who were protesting the election of a CCM candidate to the local mayoral seat.

The organisation noted that no meaningful investigations into these killings had been carried out by the end of the year and those responsible had not been brought to justice.

“Throughout the year (2011) there were reports of unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment by the police and other law enforcement officials in the course of security operations in different parts of the country,” The Amnesty report says. “No investigations into these allegations were carried out and those responsible were not brought to justice.” The entity also reports that police and other security forces used excessive force to disperse protesters in 2013.

According to a political science lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania, Dr Emmanuel Mallya, the problem starts with police training.

He explains: “They are not trained well on respecting and protecting human rights. I watched the video clip of how Prof Lipumba and his supporters were abused. It is so sad to see police severely beating people they have arrested. Why beat them when they are already in their custody? That shows that they have little or no idea of the concept of human rights.” There are constitutional gaps in protection of human rights vis-à-vis the powers of security organs, it would appear. “Kenya has constitutionally defended its people against excessive force from security organs,” Dr Mallya said. “The current constitution does not address the issue and, sadly, it was one of crucial matter which was sidelined in the making of the proposed constitution.”

There have been calls for national dialogue involving all stakeholders--and soon--to address the situation and work out the reforms required in the police force. According to the executive director of the Legal and Human Rights Centre, Dr Hellen Kijo-Bisimba, the problem keeps recurring because those who commit the offences are not dealt with. “In 2012, Iringa-based journalist Daudi Mwangosi was killed by police as he was covering an opposition demonstration,” she said. “The regional police commander was promoted instead of being sacked and taken to court.”

Such conduct, she adds, gives police the confidence to aggressively crack down on the people because, at the end of the day, they know they are untouchable. If the situation is not reversed, she cautioned, the country will find itself in serious trouble. “It will get to a time that Tanzanians will not be afraid to stand up to police because they will have no other way to go since the place that was expected to provide them with justice is the one perpetuating injustice.”

According to Prof Kitila Mkumbo of the University of Dar es Salaam, the police have treated opposition parties unfairly since the establishment of multiparty democracy. He accused the force of allowing itself to be used by the ruling party CCM to serve its cause, “Whenever CCM faces stiff competition, the police are used to disrupt the opposition,” he said.

“The unfortunate reality is that we are going to experience many more cases of excessive force from police this election year because CCM is going to face the stiffest competition ever from the opposition.”