Kampala — Instead of providing the latest news updates, the homepages of three leading Tanzanian newspapers are focused on their own suspension over a video seen as critical of the president, as concerns mount over deteriorating press freedom ahead of elections.
On October 2, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) issued a 30-day suspension order for Mwananchi Communications Limited's (MCL) online publications affecting the websites of its newspapers -- the English-language daily The Citizen, the Swahili-language Mwananchi and the sports-focused Mwanaspoti -- and their social media pages. The TCRA accused MCL of publishing prohibited content on social media that "aimed to ridicule and harm the reputation, prestige and status" of the country. The three newspapers' print editions continue to hit the newsstands.
The one-month ban is part of a series of recent press freedom violations in Tanzania, as human rights organizations have warned of narrowing civic space ahead of November's local elections and next year's presidential and parliamentary elections, in which President Samia Suluhu Hassan will stand.
The Citizen's October 1 animated video showed a woman resembling the president flipping through television reports in which people complained about abductions and killings. Tanzanians have been shocked by September's murder of opposition politician Ali Mohamed Kibao, after being taken off a bus, beaten, and doused in acid -- the latest in a wave of high-profile opposition figures to "disappear."
On October 2, MCL said it had removed the animation because "it depicted events that raised concerns regarding the safety and security of individuals in Tanzania." However, the deleted video has been shared widely online.
Separately, on October 9, the TCRA accused the privately owned YouTube-based Jambo TV, of breaking the law in its broadcast of criticism of two telecoms companies.
The regulator objected to the news channel airing a claim by Tundu Lissu, vice chairperson of the opposition Chadema party, that Tigo shared his location data with the government prior to a 2017 attempt to assassinate him, as well as journalist Erick Kabendera's claim that Vodacom Tanzania shared his data with security personnel who arrested him in 2019.
A British court heard this month from Tigo's former parent company Millicom that it had concerns "about a local politician's mobile phone data being passed to a government agency." In court filings responding to a former Tigo employee's claim that he was dismissed for raising concerns about surveillance, Millicom said the individuals involved had been disciplined.
The TCRA said that Jambo TV should "submit a written defense" and appear before its Content Committee on October 17 "to explain why legal action should not be taken against it."
Kabendera had sued Vodacom, alleging that the company "facilitated" his arrest, but his case was dismissed in September. He intends to appeal.
Samia, who succeeded President John Pombe Magufuli after his death in 2021, initially lifted media bans and promised to improve conditions for the press. However, her government has fallen short of overhauling restrictive laws, such as the 2020 online content regulations cited in this month's ban on MCL and the case against Jambo TV.
In violations reminiscent of the anti-press tactics used under Magufuli, at least eight journalists have been arrested while covering opposition events in recent weeks:
● August 11
Journalists Ramadhan Khamis and Fadhil Kirundwa of privately owned Jambo TV were arrested while covering a Chadema event in the southern city of Mbeya. Kirundwa and Khamis told CPJ they were released the following day on condition that they did not publish footage of the youth rally, in which more than 500 people were arrested.
● September 23
Police assaulted MCL journalists Lawrence Mnubi, Michael Matemanga, and Baraka Loshilaa and detained them for hours in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam while covering a banned Chadema protest over alleged killings and abductions.
Police also briefly detained reporter Mariam Shaban of privately owned East Africa TV, and privately owned Nipashe newspaper's Jenifer Gilla and Jumanne Juma, Shaban and Gilla told CPJ.
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On October 7, government spokesperson Thobias Makoba told CPJ by phone that he could not immediately respond to questions and did not answer subsequent calls and messages. Makoba previously told the U.S. Congress-funded Voice of America Africa that the Tanzanian government supports freedom of speech and encourages responsible journalism, while noting that freedom comes with responsibility.
TCRA spokesperson Rolf Kibaja told CPJ via email that the regulator had invited MCL to a hearing on October 10 "after which further regulatory actions would follow." He did not respond to requests for clarification or subsequent queries about Jambo TV.
CPJ requested comment via email and messaging app from Vodacom Tanzania; and via email from its South Africa-based parent company Vodacom Group; Tigo Tanzania; and Luxembourg-based Millicom, which owned Tigo Tanzania in 2017, but did not receive any replies. Police spokesperson David Misime did not respond to CPJ's requests for comment via messaging app.
