Tanzania 2015 violations & victories January The government banned a regional newspaper The East African, claiming that it had not been properly registered in the country, yet the paper has been in circulation in Tanzania and the region for more than 2 decades. It was allowed back on the newsstands a few months later. June Zanzibar based Coconut FM was raided by 20 masked men who said they were looking Ali Mohamed Abdulrahman - a radio host at the station. Abdulrahman hosted a special programme that had discussed the voter registration exercise in Zanzibar during which it was alleged that a group of masked men were intimidating people who were registering. It was alleged that the masked men were seen being ferried to registration centres in police vehicles. MISA Tanzania was told that the radio station suspended the journalist for five months and stopped airing political programmes. In a separate incident, Omar Ali, who is a freelance journalist, was brutally attacked by unknown assailants and his legs were broken. Omar’s attack was associated with his coverage of the voter registration exercise and the perpetrators were alleged to be state agents. July 25 Mbeya based community radio station Kyela FM aired a special programme featuring for a member of the parliament belonging to the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party who is also the CEO of the radio. Soon after the programme was aired, the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) confronted the radio station and requested an audio copy of programme and warned that they would suspend the radio station. August 3 The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) team delivered a letter to Kyela FM which announced the suspension of the radio station. The radio station manager refused to provide his signature to indicate receipt of the letter. The TCRA team went ahead and closed down the radio station. The management of Kyela FM feel the radio was suspended following pressure from Minister Mwakyembe who was also contesting candidacy as MP for the CCM. The TCRA team alleged that they suspended the station for operating without a license and a radio transmitter that was found inside the station instead of outside as per regulations.