TANZANIA: AUTHORITIES MUST END CRACKDOWN ON JOURNALISTS REPORTING ON COVID-19

In recent years Tanzania has increasingly used repressive laws to silence and punish journalists for doing their jobs. We are calling on the authorities to end this crackdown on media freedom and stop using the law as a tool of censorship and repression

In recent years Tanzania has increasingly used repressive laws to silence and punish journalists for doing their jobs. We are calling on the authorities to end this crackdown on media freedom and stop using the law as a tool of censorship and repression.

 

The authorities cited provisions of the restrictive Media Services Act in issuing both suspensions. Talib Hamad was suspended for allegedly reporting about a COVID-19 patient without the patient’s consent. Mwananchi newspaper was suspended and fined five million Tanzanian shillings (about USD 2200) for publishing a photo of the president buying fish in his home village of Chato, in northwestern Tanzania, on 13 April, apparently breaching global social distancing guidelines. Authorities said the photo was not recent.

Three other media organizations - Star Media Tanzania Ltd, Multichoice Tanzania Ltd and Azam Digital Broadcast Ltd – were on 2 April each fined the same amount and ordered to apologize for “transmission of false and misleading information” on the country’s approach to managing COVID-19.

“The authorities must immediately lift the suspension of the journalist and the media house. They must not be penalized or sanctioned for doing their job,” said Deprose Muchena.

The media plays a crucial role in informing the public about the factual situation and measures taken by governments in response to COVID-19. Its capacity to operate freely should not be unduly restricted.

Some of the laws that have been used in recent years to stifle the right to freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom and silence critical voices are the Media Services Act, the Electronic and Postal Communications (Digital and Other Broadcasting Networks and Services) Regulations, Electronic and Postal Communications (Radio and Television Content) Regulations, and Electronic and Postal Communications (Online Content) Regulations.