(MISA/IFEX) – On 14 December 1999, Christopher Mtikila, a religious leader and head of the unregistered Democratic Party, was sentenced to a year in prison for sedition. The case against Mtikila arose in April 1997, when he was accused of uttering defamatory words against the government and leaders of the ruling Chama Cha Mpinduzi (CCM) […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 14 December 1999, Christopher Mtikila, a religious leader and head of the unregistered Democratic Party, was sentenced to a year in prison for sedition.
The case against Mtikila arose in April 1997, when he was accused of uttering defamatory words against the government and leaders of the ruling Chama Cha Mpinduzi (CCM) party. Following the death of CCM Secretary-General Horace Kolimba, Mtikila had claimed that Kolimba had been killed by the ruling party and government. He further equated the CCM leaders to “satan.”
In passing sentence, the presiding magistrate of the Kivukoni Magistrate’s Court said that Mtikila should be sent to jail given the gravity of the offence and despite the fact that the accused was a first time offender. The magistrate found that Mtikila had uttered baseless allegations against top government officials, subjecting them to hatred by right thinking members of society. The magistrate further pronounced that Mtikila’s words intended to introduce segregation in society and hence were also in violation of Section 31(1) of the 1976 Newspapers Act.
Mtikila is currently facing other sedition charges in connection with cassettes containing alleged defamatory statements about deceased former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. He is out on bail in this case (see IFEX alerts of 6 December and 16 November 1999.)