(MISA/IFEX) – Nine local journalists, who were held by police in the Tarime District of the Mara region on 30 August 2001 for ten hours, were set free without charges, but their equipment was confiscated. The journalists from various private local media went to witness the signing of an agreement between two warring clans of […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Nine local journalists, who were held by police in the Tarime District of the Mara region on 30 August 2001 for ten hours, were set free without charges, but their equipment was confiscated.
The journalists from various private local media went to witness the signing of an agreement between two warring clans of Waanchari and Walyanchoka in Kubiterere village.
Some of those arrested had accompanied Vice President Ali Mohammed Shein, who was on an official tour of the Mara region. The vice president did not visit the troubled area. The clashes caused the deaths of several people and 467 houses were set on fire.
The nine journalists, including Cassian Malima, the editor of “Mtanzania”, and Said Msonda, a “Nipashe” senior journalist, were arrested in Kubiterere village in Tarime. Others arrested were: Florian Kaijage and Hussein Idd (Dar es Salaam Television), Deus Ngowi and Samson Chacha (“Mwananchi Newspaper”), George Marato and Hamad Kitumbo (Independent Television, Musoma) and Athuman Hamis (“Nipashe Newspaper”).
According to Malima, they were released by Tarime District Commissioner (DC) Pascal Mabiti. Following the DC’s orders, the police arrested them and drove them to the Tarime police station where they stayed from noon to midnight.
Malima stated that the police told them that journalists were not allowed to visit an area where clan fighting had taken place without a permit from the DC. Malima said that they were interrogated, after which they were released on bail and ordered to leave behind any equipment in their possession. They were also ordered to give up their belts, watches and shoes.
Malima also stated that, on the morning of 31 August, they were ordered to go to the DC’s office to apologise for visiting the area without permission. The journalists refused because they had not committed any offence.
The released journalists arrived in Musoma town at around 1:30 p.m. (local time) on 31 August to continue covering the vice president’s visit in the Mara region, which ended on 1 September.
Journalists have been banned for one week from visiting a village involved in clan fighting in the Tarime district.
A similar incident involving three journalists occurred on 22 August. The arrested journalists were Dismas Ayuke of the private daily Kiswahili paper “Majira”, Erick Nampesya of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and Richard Mgamba of the Nairobi-based weekly English private paper “The East African” (see IFEX alerts of 31 and 28 August 2001). The three journalists are all out on bail.
