United Republic of Tanzania

East Africa Law Society (EALS)

EALS is a regional bar association comprising eight (8) national bar associations and individual members across East Africa. Its mandate is to promote the Legal Profession, Good Governance, the Rule of Law, and Human Rights in the region. EALS plays a central role in advancing the abolition of the death penalty in East Africa through strategic litigation, policy engagement, and regional advocacy. The organisation has been involved in a wide range of capital punishment challenges before regional and continental courts, including several that have been especially influential in shaping the abolition discourse in the region.

Notable among these is Ally Rajabu v. United Republic of Tanzania (Application No. 007/2015) in African Court, which advanced core human rights arguments on the incompatibility of the death penalty with regional human rights standards. This jurisprudential engagement has continued through subsequent proceedings, including the consolidated cases of Chacha Jeremia & 2 Others v. United Republic of Tanzania (Consolidated Application Nos. 039/2019, 040/2019 and 041/2019) and Sudi Mashana v. Republic (Application No. 021/2020), among others.

Alongside strategic litigation, EALS has reinforced its abolition agenda through sustained parliamentary engagement, regional policy dialogue, and targeted capacity-building programmes for judges, lawyers, and lawmakers, thereby consolidating its position as a leading regional voice on justice reform and the progressive abolition of capital punishment.

EALS collaborates with international partners such as Reprieve UK, Cornell University’s Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, and other regional civil society organisations to strengthen technical expertise in abolition advocacy. The organisation maintains observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the East African Community, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and is committed to advancing binding, treaty-based abolition of the death penalty across East Africa while promoting access to justice, democracy, and human development.

Date founded

1995

Structure type

Bar Association