International human rights organizations are urging Tanzanian authorities to release a woman with severe intellectual disabilities who has spent 13 years awaiting execution.
The woman, Lemi Limbu, was convicted of murdering her daughter in 2015. Medical evaluations indicate she functions at the developmental level of a young child. Her legal representatives report her health has significantly declined in prison, where she now requires assistance to walk and shows visible signs of physical and mental distress.
Limbu’s initial conviction was overturned due to procedural errors, but she was retried and sentenced to death again in 2022. The court reportedly did not consider her intellectual disability or her history as a survivor of domestic and sexual violence during the proceedings. An appeal filed two years ago has yet to receive a hearing date.
Legal experts argue the case highlights systemic injustices. “This individual poses no threat to society and should not be imprisoned,” stated a legal consultant involved in the case. “With proper support, she could live productively in the community. She is someone who requires protection, not punishment.”
Limbu’s background reveals a life marked by violence. She endured abuse from childhood, was repeatedly assaulted in her village, and gave birth at age 15 after being raped. She later fled an abusive marriage with her infant daughter, Tabu.
The tragedy occurred after Limbu met another man who refused to accept her daughter. Shortly after this meeting, Tabu was found strangled. While Limbu was arrested for the crime, the man she had been involved with fled and was never detained.
At her trials, Limbu maintained her innocence, claiming police coerced a confession through beatings and threats. During the retrial, the court did not admit testimony from medical professionals who had documented her severe intellectual disability.
Prison conditions in the country have been described as severely inadequate, with concerns raised that the environment is further deteriorating Limbu’s health. Without intervention, experts warn her condition could become critical.
