148. The Court notes that Article 5 of the Charter provides that:
Every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent
in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status. All forms of
exploitation and degradation of man, particularly slavery, slave trade,
torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment shall be
prohibited.
i.
On the prohibition against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
149. The Applicant alleges that the Respondent State violated his right to dignity
through the imposition of the death penalty by hanging in violation of Article
5 of the Charter. It is the Applicant’s contention that such breach is
constituted notwithstanding the commutation of the death penalty to life
imprisonment.
150. The Respondent State on its part avers that imposition of the death
sentence for murder is in accordance its laws and, regional and
international human rights instruments. According to the Respondent State,
the death sentence is imposed for “most serious crimes” as provided under
Section 196 of the Penal Code and Article 6(2) of the ICCPR.
***
151. With regard to the prohibition of cruel and inhuman treatment under Article
5 of the Charter, this Court stated in Ally Rajabu and Others v. United
Republic of Tanzania, that many methods used to carry out the death
penalty have the potential of amounting to torture, as well as cruel, inhuman
and degrading treatment given the suffering inherent thereto. This Court
specifically held that hanging a person is one of such methods that is
inherently degrading.63 The Court also recalls its position in Amini Juma v.
United Republic of Tanzania where it held that implementing the death
63
Rajabu and Others v. Tanzania (merits and reparations), supra, §§ 118-119.
42