Tanzanian Government has threatened to either ban or deregister Mwananchi and MwanaHalisi newspapers for allegedly publishing materials with ill-intention to incite chaos and break peace in the country.
The threat was communicated through letter made public by the papers themselves. In the letter sent to Mwananchi with reference number ISC/N.100/1/VOL/76, the government will not hesitate to take stern measures should the newspaper continue publishing inciting news against fourth phase government.
The letter bearing confidential stamp signed by Raphael Hokororo from the Newspapers Registrar on 11 October, 2010, requires the newspaper to immediately stop publishing inciting and humiliating news, which tarnish the country and the government, in the name of freedom of expression stipulated in the Constitution. It says the government will not hesitate to suspend or deregister the newspaper if it continues publishing negative articles against it.
According to MwanaHalisi newspaper issue No. 211 of Wednesday 20 26 October 2010, the paper also received letter of threat Ref. No. IH/RN/750/60 of October 15, 2010 that government will take legal action against it if it continues to publish articles with ill-intention to break peace.
The government could not pinpoint the alleged articles in both newspapers; something which has prompted Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL), publisher of The Citizens, Mwananchi and Mwanaspoti to respond to the media that it could not understand the basis of the governments allegations, which lacked examples of the disputed articles. MCL Managing Editor Theopil Makunga was quoted by the Citizen newspaper of 20 October 2010 saying that MCL publications were guided by editorial policy aimed at championing professionalism and integrity.
The disputed newspapers are not among defamatory and hate speech media outlets listed in the monthly reports of the 2010 Media Election Monitoring Firm, Synovate. MISA-Tanzania and other civil society, human right organizations and political parties have condemned the threat. In its statement to media houses dated 21 October 2010, MISA-Tanzania Chairman, Ayub Rioba, says Governments threat poses a serious infringement to press freedom while at the same time interfering with constitutional right of citizens to be informed and to communicate their views, opinions and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.
MISA-Tanzania therefore calls on all citizens to consider the question of press freedom as an election issue. Voters need, therefore, to scrutinize candidates and political parties on their positions with regards to issues of press freedom and the citizens right to information and what they will do, if elected, to ensure that legislation is in place to promote and protect these rights, says the statement.
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