Human rights groups are calling on the Tanzanian government to release Lemi Limbu, a woman with severe intellectual disabilities who has been on death row for 13 years.
Limbu, now in her early 30s, was convicted in 2015 for allegedly killing her one-year-old daughter, Tabu. However, campaigners say she is a survivor of years of sexual and domestic violence and has the mental capacity of a child.
Her health has worsened in prison. When her lawyer visited her in June, Limbu could barely walk, had a swollen stomach, and seemed extremely weak and depressed.
Under Tanzanian law, the death penalty is mandatory for murder. Limbu’s first conviction in 2015 was thrown out in 2019 due to errors, but she was retired in 2022 and sentenced to death again—even though the court ignored medical evidence of her disability and history of abuse.
An appeal was filed in 2022, but a hearing date has never been set. Legal experts say this delay is a violation of Tanzania’s constitution, which requires timely justice.
“She is not dangerous and should never have been in prison,” said Professor Sandra Babcock from Cornell University, who is helping with the case. “If released and given support, she could live a normal life.”
Limbu’s life has been filled with violence. As a child, she saw her father beat her mother and was raped multiple times by men in her village. She gave birth at 15 after being raped and later married an older man who abused her.
After fleeing him, she moved to another village with her baby, where she met a man named Kijiji Nyamabu, who said he would marry her but refused to accept her child.
Days later, the baby was found strangled. There were no witnesses. Kijiji disappeared, but Limbu was arrested and, according to her, forced to confess under threat and violence.
At her second trial in 2022, the court blocked expert testimony that confirmed she had the mental age of a 10-year-old. International law says people with such disabilities should not be held criminally responsible.
Human rights groups say Limbu’s case is an example of the injustice of Tanzania’s mandatory death penalty. A coalition of 24 organizations has asked the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to review the case.
Prison conditions in Tanzania are harsh, with poor hygiene, lack of medical care, and overcrowding. Advocates warn Limbu’s health is now critical.
“She has suffered abuse all her life. Keeping her on death row is cruel and unnecessary,” said Fulgence Massawe from Tanzania’s Legal and Human Rights Centre.
Campaigners hope international pressure will push Tanzania to stop the execution and release her.
