Teacher Handed Death Sentence After Student Dies of Torture.
A
Tanzanian court sentenced a teacher to death Wednesday after a 13-year-old
pupil died from a beating meted out by him in a case that sparked a national
debate on corporal punishment in schools.
The
child, Sperius Eradius, died on August 27 last year, days after the beating for
allegedly stealing another teacher’s handbag, according to family members.
Judge
Lameck Mlacha of the court in Bukoba in the north-west, found teacher Respicius
Mutazangira “guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of voluntary homicide”
and sentenced him to death.
Mutazangira
has the right to appeal.
The
boy’s parents, in protest, had refused to bury their son until authorities
arrested the teacher and suspended the school principal.
The
case triggered an uproar, with condemnations from rights organisations.
It
followed another case in 2016, in which a girl was allegedly forced to remove
her underwear before being caned by four teachers in succession.
The
girl’s alleged crime was serial absenteeism.
Corporal
punishment is allowed under a 1979 law, but with restrictions.
Blows
may only be administered by principals, must be focused on the hands or
buttocks with the use of a light and flexible rod, and may only be dealt out in
a “reasonable” manner in the case of serious offences.
In
a report in 2017, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said “Widespread corporal
punishment… often takes brutal and humiliating forms in Tanzanian schools,” and
called on the government to ban such beatings.
what are your views , please drop your opinion on comment side .
Disclaimer:
Comments
expressed here do not reflect the opinion of samolusanjos.blogspot.com
Kindly Share This Story
No comments:
Post a Comment