Tanzania draws criticism over newspaper ban

What you need to know:

  • East African Law Society council member Ms Harriette Chiggai said that apart from violating the freedom of expression, the ban also undermines the spirit of integration among the East African nations.

Media practitioners and regional lawyers have condemned the decision by the Tanzanian government to ban The EastAfrican newspaper.

The Tanzanian authorities decided to ban the regional weekly newspaper over claims it “has been circulating in the country without having registration.”

The letter communicating the ban was dated January 21 and ordered an immediate stop to publication, printing and circulation of The EastAfrican in Tanzania.

“That was very extreme and unwarranted. Tanzania has a media industry regulator and if the government felt the paper had gone to the extreme there is the due process to be followed,” said Victor Bwire, the deputy chief executive of Media Council of Kenya (MCK).

Mr Bwire said the decision to ban the publication was an affront to the freedom of expression and a big loss to the publishers, the Nation Media Group (NMG).

SPIRIT OF INTEGRATION

East African Law Society council member Ms Harriette Chiggai said that apart from violating the freedom of expression, the ban also undermines the spirit of integration among the East African nations.

Ms Chiggai said the decision did not give the publisher the opportunity to be heard, which is a requirement of the natural justice.

“My advice would be that NMG should write a formal complaint to the EALS chairman who also happens to be a citizen of Tanzania who will then bring it up for discussion by the regional lawyers,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mr Bwire said MCK will use the forthcoming regional meeting of the East African media regulators to reach out to their counterparts in Tanzania over their government’s seeming intolerance.