Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan told parliament on Friday that an inquiry commission was being formed to investigate the killings that occurred during the election, which returned her to power.
Hassan also instructed the police and security forces to be lenient with young protesters who only “followed the crowd” after hundreds were arrested and charged with treason, which carries the death penalty.
“I am deeply saddened by the incident. I offer my condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones,” she said in her inaugural speech to parliament following her re-election.
Hassan retained the presidency with 98 per cent of the vote on October 29, according to the electoral commission.
But allegations of rigging and government repression sparked days of violent protests in which hundreds were killed by security forces, according to the opposition and rights groups, amid a total internet blackout.
“The government has taken the step of forming an inquiry commission to investigate what happened,” Hassan told parliament.
“I realise that many youths who were arrested and charged with treason did not know what they were doing.
“As the mother of this nation, I direct the law enforcement agencies, and especially the office of the director of police, to look at the level of offences committed by our youths. For those who seem to have followed the crowd and did not intend to commit a crime, let them erase their mistakes,” she added.
AFP
