DAR ES SALAAM, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Friday pardoned 1,082 prisoners to mark the 60th anniversary of the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar that formed the United Republic of Tanzania on April 26, 1964.
A statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs issued late Friday said the presidential amnesty benefitted sick prisoners in terminal stages certified by qualified medical doctors and prisoners aged above 70 years.
According to the statement signed by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Daniel Sillo, other beneficiaries included female prisoners who were jailed while pregnant, lactating mothers, and prisoners with disabilities who could not work.
The statement added that prisoners who were jailed after they were convicted of economic sabotage, public office abuse, money laundering, corruption, and drug trafficking were not candidates for the presidential amnesty.
The union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar was forged between founding presidents Julius Nyerere and Abeid Amani Karume, respectively. ■