Samia pardons over 4,800 prisoners to mark 61 years of Tanzania union

Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan has extended amnesty to 4,887 inmates as Tanzania marked 61 years of its union.

Tanganyika and Zanzibar united on April 26, 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania and the day is marked every year in different styles, including the pardoning of prisoners.

The Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Innocent Bashungwa, said in a statement that 42 prisoners were immediately released, while the remaining 4,845 had their sentences reduced.

The amnesty was granted under the powers vested to the President by Article 45(1)(a)–(d) of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania.

"The government hopes these individuals will return to society with a renewed sense of responsibility, actively contribute to national development, and avoid reoffending," the statement reads in part.

The clemency covers prisoners serving terms of two years or more, reducing their sentences by one-sixth in addition to the standard one-third reduction. To qualify, inmates must have been incarcerated before March 2, 2025, the statement added.

The pardon also includes critically ill inmates, those aged 70 and above, pregnant women imprisoned while expecting, and prisoners with severe physical or mental disabilities that hinder their ability to work.

Additionally, prisoners whose death sentences had previously been commuted to life imprisonment will now have their terms adjusted to 30 years, without the one-third reduction. Likewise, inmates whose life sentences were already reduced to 30 years must have served at least five years and will not qualify for a one-half sentence reduction.

During last year’s Independence Day celebrations, President Hassan pardoned 1,548 inmates.