Tanzania

The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority has suspended Kwanza Online TV for 11 months for what it considers “generating and disseminating biased, misleading and disruptive content”.

Founder of Tanzania’s online whistleblowing platform Jamii Forums, Maxence Melo has paid a fine for a conviction on charges of obstructing police investigations, but has filed notice of intent to appeal the case.

Reporters Without Borders says the hefty fine paid by Erick Kabendera to secure his release is indicative of the deteriorating press freedom environment in Tanzania.

Rights groups publish reports highlighting President John Magufuli’s government and its adoption of repressive laws that stifle independent journalism, and severely restrict the activities of civil society and political opposition.

The media crackdown in Tanzania continues escalating, with journalist Erick Kabendera remaining in detention and heavy fines for 3 online tv channels.

Tanzania is fast tracking the Written Laws Bill which seeks to make changes to eight existing acts that will further restrict access to Information, data protection and artistic free expression.

Together with 37 other NGOs, CPJ has asked observer and member states of the UN Human Rights Council to tackle the crackdown on human rights defenders, the media and opposition members by Tanzanian authorities.

Tanzanian authorities prevented Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, executive director of CIPESA, from attending the commemoration of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders’ Day when they arrested him upon arrival in the country and deported him back to Uganda several hours later.

The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) ruled that multiple sections of Tanzania’s 2016 Media Services Act, including those on sedition, criminal defamation, and false news publication, restrict press freedom and freedom of expression, and breach the constitutive treaty of the East African Community.

The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have developed a media ownership monitoring (MOM) map showing who owns and ultimately controls Tanzania’s mass media.

Officers who identified themselves as working with the Tanzanian immigration authority detained CPJ staffers Angela Quintal and Muthoki Mumo for several hours on 7 November in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. They were released midday on 8 November.

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority’s decision to fine 5 TV stations came after the stations had covered a report by an NGO alleging that abuses were committed by security personnel during the country’s November 26 ward by-election.

There is growing concern among NGOs in Tanzania at the disappearance of journalist Azori Gwanda, who has been missing since 21 November 2017.

Tanzania’s Information, Sports and Culture minister imposed a 24-month ban on “Mawio”‘s print editions and any articles posted online over articles that mentioned two retired presidents in reports on an investigation into misconduct.

Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s ominous warning to journalists that press freedom has “limits” following a sequence of events that led to the firing of his information minister has raised new concerns about authoritarianism in the east African republic.

A subsidiary of Canada’s Barrick Gold is once again embroiled in a free expression controversy. This time over threats to journalists who reported on mining issues.