Press Freedom: Tanzanian Government Shuts Down Newspapers Over Incitement

In a new case of press freedom being curtailed in Tanzania, the government has shut down the second newspaper in three months over claims of incitement.

An independent Tanzanian newspaper, MwanaHalisi, has been suspended for two years after it published a letter on Monday from a reader containing “insults” against President John Magufuli and his government.

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This was confirmed by government spokesman Hassan Abbasi on Tuesday who further accused the publication of sedition and endangering national security.

“The government has suspended publication and circulation of the weekly MwanaHalisi newspaper for 24 months…due to repeated unethical reporting, publishing fabricated and inciting articles and endangering national security,” read the statement.

MwanaHalisi’s editors were asked to apologize for their inciteful articles which they refused to, leading to the shutdown.

The offending letter said that Magufuli “claims to be a patriot but questions the patriotism of anyone who opposes him. This is hypocritical.”

It further mocked his regular calls for citizens to pray for him when it is opposition lawmaker Tundu Lissu who was shot and injured earlier this month that needs the prayer more.

The ban comes just three months after the weekly, Mawio, was suspended for two years for linking two former presidents to dubious mining contracts.

President Magufuli, nicknamed “the bulldozer”, has won praise from Western governments for his anti-corruption drive and cutting of wasteful public spending.

His critics have, however, accused him of increasingly undermining democracy by curbing dissent, stifling free speech and curtailing press freedom.

This particular move of baing the newspaper cements his January pledge of shutting down publications in which his government viewed as unethical.

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Tanzania, on the other hand, has one of the most highly diverse media industries in Africa. There are said to be over 450 registered newspapers and journals, as well as 180 radio and television stations.

In November, Magufuli signed into law a bill that journalists said was aimed at curtailing press freedom.

The Media Services Act of 2016 gives officials powers to shut down media organizations that violate their licenses and requires newspapers to apply for an aual license.