Tanzania OVERVIEW “The Newspaper titled “Mawio” shall cease publication permanently including any electronic communication as per the Electronic and Postal Communication Act, with effect from January 15th, 2016”. T his statement appeared in the government notice no 55, published on January 15, evidence that the infamous Newspaper Act of 1976 had struck again, this time to de-register the privately owned weekly tabloid called Mawio and stop the publication from operating entirely, even through online platforms. Information Minister Nape Nnauye claimed that Mawio had demonstrated a culture of publishing inflammatory content and despite repeated warnings it had refused to tone down its “provocative” coverage. Previously, the Act was used to ban publications that authorities claim were undermining the law of the land, including Mawio’s sister paper MwanaHalisi which was banned indefinitely in 2015. However, MwanaHalisi successfully challenged the ban in the High Court of Tanzania and was back in the streets in 2016. The same Act was used to suspend The East African, a weekly publication, in early 2015 for allegedly not “being properly registered,” even though the paper had been operating in the country for more than two decades. In 2016 the government allowed the return of the East African. Before the media had time to process the news of the closure of the paper, on Monday 18 January, just three days 102 So This is Democracy? 2016 after Mawio was completely removed from the newsstands, the Government suspended 27 TV and Radio stations for three months for failing to fulfill their licensing requirements. With only three months in power, the 5th phase government had sent a clear message to the media in Tanzania that the next 57 months weren’t going to be easy. A very challenging year for media freedom in the country... Media Freedom While the region and the world celebrate the presidency of John Magufuli in Tanzania, there is no doubt that 2016 has been a very challenging year for media freedom in the country. It was marked with banning and suspension of many media outlets. Not only were media outlets attacked but also individual journalists were victims of press freedom violations all over Tanzania. The violations ranged from physical assaults, threats and intimidation, harassment and court cases over sedition charges, denial of access to information in public offices or access public events. Close to 40 cases of media freedom violations were recorded last year from all over the country. Some of the notable ones were the abduction of the Zanzibar based Mwananchi newspaper reporter and Deutsche Welle (DW) correspondent Salma Said. Salma was flying from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam and was abducted by a group of men travelling in an unmarked saloon car on exiting Julius Nyerere International Airport. She was released after three days from an unknown location where she had been held and tortured. ‘TAKE ONE’ a lifestyle TV show by Clouds TV was suspended for three months by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) for allegedly airing programmes that promote prostitution and homosexuality. The suspension sparked mixed opinions among Tanzanians over the content of the programmes aired. Once again, Information Minister Nape Nnauye ordered two privately owned stations, Radio Five of Arusha and Magic FM based in Dar es Salaam to cease their broadcasting over allegedly “seditious” content that could incite tpublic violence and disturb the peace. Kagera-based AZAM TV reporter Junior Mwemezi was arrested by anti-robbery police in Kagera town towards the end of the year for allegedly possessing government documents illegally. Mwemezi had written a story on tax evasion by a company. According to Mwemezi the story showed some malpractice by several public officials and this angered them. Earlier on, Mwemezi had been given a tip on the matter and had these documents in his car when the anti-robbery squad arrested and took him to police station for interrogation. According to him he was handcuffed and beaten. He was released on bail after six days. With support from his lawyer, the issue of possessing public documents was taken off the table but he still has another case in court for allegedly impersonating a public official. One of the biggest blows to press free- dom in 2016 was the government decision to ban the live broadcasting of the Parliament Sessions in April 19. Despite public outcry in conjunction with journalists and human rights groups alike, the government turned a deaf ear. This wasn’t only a challenge to the media but a direct denial of the public’s right to information. The Government claimed that live broadcasting was expensive, and according to state officials it cost up to Tanzania Shillings 5 billion. When Tanzania Media Foundation (TMF) offered to cover the cost of live broadcasts, it was rejected. This led critics to believe that there was another motive behind the ban. The MSA has created a number of bodies which …. undermine the freedom of the media. Even though perpetration of media violations include ordinary citizens, there is overwhelming evidence that in 2016, Government institutions and political leaders were the highest in number in terms of committing violations. Media monitoring reports from other organizations such as the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) and others indicate that violations committed by government institutions (police, government officials) make up to 80 per cent of the violations reported. So This is Democracy? 2016 103