A court in Tanzania’s capital has sentenced four men to life imprisonment for the gang rape and sodomy of a girl under the age of 18, in a case that sparked outrage in the country.
Among those convicted are Clinton Damas, a soldier in the Tanzania People’s Defense Force, and Praygod Mushi, a prison officer.
The other two convicts are Nickson Jackson and Amin Lema.
In addition to the life sentences, the four men have each been ordered to pay 1 million shillings ($370; £275) to the victim.
A fifth suspect – a senior policewoman suspected of ordering the sex attack – will be tried separately in October.
The case has sent shock waves through Tanzania, a deeply conservative society.
Outside the Dodoma Resident Magistrate’s Court on Monday, the men’s lawyer, Godfrey Wasonga, said they were dissatisfied with the ruling, claiming some legal provisions had been violated.
But several activists, celebrities and human rights defenders have praised the court’s ruling on social media.
A video of the gang rape began circulating online in August, and shortly afterwards police urged the public not to forward the footage to “avoid the victim and her family from being tortured”.
The East African country is struggling with the rise in gender-based violence, with many cases going unreported, according to local media.
“Ignoring these issues will only make them more prevalent in our society,” the Legal and Human Rights Center warned last month.
In recent weeks a police commander, Theopista Mallyawas removed from her post after controversial comments linking the victim to sex work.
Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia and Natasha Booty
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