Increasing Urgency to Release Tanzania’s Domestic Violence Survivor Sentenced to Death Row for 13 Years | Global Development

The pressure is on for the Tanzanian government to release a woman with severe intellectual disabilities who has been in prison awaiting execution for 13 years. Lemi Limbu, now in her early 30s, was convicted of her daughter’s murder in 2015. She is a survivor of brutal sexual and domestic violence and has the developmental age of a child. Her legal team is worried about her deteriorating health, as she requires assistance to walk, her stomach is swollen, and her mental health has worsened. In Tanzania, the death penalty is mandatory for murder, and Limbu’s original conviction was nullified in 2019 due to procedural errors. She was retried and sentenced to death again in 2022, but her intellectual disabilities and history of abuse were not considered. An appeal was filed, but no hearing date has been set. Legal consultant Prof Sandra Babcock argues that Limbu should not be in prison and needs protection. A coalition of human rights groups has condemned Limbu’s sentence. Limbu grew up in an environment of violence and was married to an abusive husband before fleeing with her daughter. After meeting an alcoholic man, her daughter was found strangled, and Limbu was arrested. She pleaded not guilty and stated that she was beaten and threatened by the police. The high court did not allow evidence from medical professionals at her retrial. International law states that Limbu should not be held criminally liable due to her intellectual disability. Prison conditions in Tanzania are dire, according to Fulgence T Massawe from the Legal and Human Rights Centre. Limbu’s case is seen as a clear example of the unjust consequences of Tanzania’s mandatory death penalty.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/aug/21/tanzania-lemi-limbu-woman-learning-disabilities-death-row