Tanzanian court hailed for sentencing human trafficker to 20 years in jail

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – Tanzanian human rights lawyers have applauded a local court's decision to sentence a human trafficker to 20 years in prison, saying that the harsher sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who commit such crimes.

“I think the sentence was pretty fair given the gravity of the offence. Human trafficking is a serious problem in this country (that) requires serious actions to stop it,” said Barnabas Kaniki, Executive Director of TAWLA, a Dar es Salaam-based human rights advocacy group.

He opined that the best way to deter people who engage in illegal human trafficking is to impose tougher prison sentences without the option of paying a fine.

Kaniki's remark comes just a day after Ali Rajabu was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Dar es Salaam after being convicted of masterminding a plan to traffic hundreds of Tanzanians to Canada and Mauritania.

Rajabu, who was accused of facilitating the illegal scheme, has also been sentenced to pay a fine of 20 million Tanzanian shillings ($9,000).

Two of his foreign accomplices, Anorld Sali and Chebet Benson, both Ugandan citizens, were also sentenced to five years in prison or a fine of 10 million Tanzanian shillings ($4,500)for illegally employing foreign nationals in violation of Tanzanian law.

According to the charge sheet, the accused committed the crime on August 4 in Dar es Salaam after devising a scheme and training 90 Tanzanians and five foreigners with the intention of smuggling them to Canada and Mauritania.

The east African nation is a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation.

“Public awareness is needed because many victims of human trafficking still hesitate to come forward and tell their harrowing stories,” he said.