Fatma Karume, a Tanzanian law and political activist has been fired and her decade long Senior Partnership with IMMMA Advocates permanently suspended. Fatma Karume, popularly know as Shangazi took to twitter to announce an end of their partnership IMMMA Advocates. https://twitter.com/fatma_karume/status/1307992801335029761?s=19 She shared a letter written to her by the law firm’s Managing Partner Sadock Magai. Even though the letter informed her about the firm’s decision to no longer wish to carry on the business of the law firm with her, it didn’t include reasons as to why the ended her senior partnership. “ Please be advised that the equity Partners (other than yourself) met on September 16, 2020, to deliberate the relationship which subsists between them and yourself and resolved that they no longer wish to carry on the business of IMMMA Advocates in common with you..” reads a part of the letter. “You will be compensated in accordance with Article 3.5(b) and other relevant provisions of the Partnership Agreement and applicable law” the law firm said. She has a 30-day notice to make necessary arrangements to return the firm’s possessions and smoothly handover of all matters which she was currently handling on behalf of the law firm . We contacted Ms Fatma Karume via the phone and she cursed her other patners for not giving her a chance to explain and resolve the differences before approving her removal from the firm. “Two weeks ago, they (the firm) sent me a letter asking me to stop political activism or they will fire me. I told them I am a lawyer and it is my job to speak for the community,” said Ms Karume. In March this year, the undersigned Bar Associations and organizations had protested the suspension of the former president of the Tanganyika Law Society. On September 20, 2019, Ms Karume was indefinitely suspended from practicing law within the jurisdiction of mainland Tanzania by the High Court of Tanzania. They quoted Article 14 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which specifically states that in the determination of one’s rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal established by law. " We are gravely concerned that the suspension of a lawyer without notice and the failure to ensure an expeditious and fair hearing in the matter are violations of regional and international law standards and undermine the safeguards meant to ensure the independence of the legal profession and, ultimately, the rule of law in Tanzania " Ms Karume’s suspension was in response to allegations of misconduct following her written submissions in a constitutional challenge to the President’s appointment of Professor Adelardus Kilangi as the Attorney General of Tanzania.
According to the court’s ruling, the State’s counsel complained that the language used by Ms Karume in her submissions was unprofessional and disrespectful of the Solicitor General and the Honorable Attorney General.