(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 September 2005, Mpoki Bukuku, chief photographer for the “Sunday Citizen” newspaper, and Christopher Kidanka, information officer for the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHC), were brutally beaten by a group of prison guards in Ukonga, in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam. The prison guards also brutalised innocent civilians and severely […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 10 September 2005, Mpoki Bukuku, chief photographer for the “Sunday Citizen” newspaper, and Christopher Kidanka, information officer for the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHC), were brutally beaten by a group of prison guards in Ukonga, in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam. The prison guards also brutalised innocent civilians and severely injured some of them.
Bukuku and other journalists were at the scene to cover the eviction of ten families from houses formerly owned by Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) near Ukonga Remand Prison. The families have occupied the houses for over 20 years and are currently involved in a legal battle with the Prisons Department over ownership of the homes. According to media reports, the case was brought to court on 6 September and adjourned to a later date.
Journalists and photographers were ordered not to cover the event, but defied the order.
“A whistle was blown and within seconds we were surrounded by an army of guards and prisoners clubbing, kicking and boxing us,” Bukuku told a press conference on 10 September.
“Without even asking questions, they started beating us, but their attempts to take our cameras failed. We managed to slip away with our working tools,” he added.
LHC Executive Director Helen Kijo-Bisimba, who also witnessed the incident, condemned the eviction, saying it was a gross abuse of human rights.
The director of MISA-Tanzania, Rose Haji, strongly condemned the attack on Bukuku, calling it an appalling violation of media freedom. She appealed to Tanzanian citizens to respect the role the media play in society and to ensure that media workers are able to safely fulfill their duty to gather and disseminate news.
