(MISA/IFEX) – On 3 June 1998, police in Dar es Salaam beat and briefly detained “Mtanzania” photojournalist Ally Mwankufi. At the time, Mwankufi was taking pictures of police arresting suspects at Kinondoni Mkwajuni in the Kinondoni district following the murder of an individual. Mwankufi told MISA-Tanzania that four police officers arrested him at 10.40 am […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 3 June 1998, police in Dar es Salaam beat and briefly
detained “Mtanzania” photojournalist Ally Mwankufi. At the time, Mwankufi
was taking pictures of police arresting suspects at Kinondoni Mkwajuni in
the Kinondoni district following the murder of an individual. Mwankufi told
MISA-Tanzania that four police officers arrested him at 10.40 am and took
his press card and camera. He said he was then made to join the group of
suspects arrested in connection with the murder. He was then taken, along
with the suspects, to the Oysterbay police station where he was briefly
interrogated and asked to write down a statement. Mwankufi was released at
2.24 pm without charges and his camera and press card were returned.
Mwankufi told MISA-Tanzania, “these people ignore our job, they take us as
their enemy, if I had no press card it was easier for them to justify their
action of beating me, they saw it and yet they continued to beat me. I took
the photo purposely to show the Tanzanians how police play their role when
there is a problem, and build the relation of trust between the police and
people.”
