State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 ■ ALERTS • DATE: January 25, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Hamis Hamad VIOLATIONS: Beaten (injured) O n January 25 2003, photojournalist Hamis Hamad, who works for the daily Uhuru and weekly Mzalendo newspapers in Dar es Salaam, was reportedly assaulted by Kinondoni Municipal Council askaris (security guards). Hamad suffered minor injuries when he was beaten up while on assignment at Ubungo Bus Terminal in Dar es Salaam. • DATE: February 14, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Tegemea Mwanhandisa VIOLATIONS: Beaten, censored O n February 14 2003, freelance photojournalist Tegemea Mwanhandisa, who works for the daily Majira and the evening newspaper Dar Leo in Tanzania’s Morogoro region, was reportedly assaulted by security guards of the New Boy Entertainment Company, based in the town of Morogoro. The photojournalist suffered minor injuries and the loss of his camera and other equipment worth 695,000 Tanzania shillings (approximately US$700). • DATE: March 19, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Ali Nabwa VIOLATIONS: Expelled A li Nabwa, editor of the weekly newspaper Dira, published in the semi-autonomous state of Zanzibar, was stripped of his Tanzanian citizenship on March 19 and directed to reapply for it if he wished to do so. Nabwa vehemently denied government charges that he is not a citizen of Tanzania and that he has been living illegally in the country since 1993. At a 25 March 2003 press conference, Nabwa told journalists the Zanzibar government’s accusation was a malicious response to his newspaper’s attempts to hold public leaders accountable. He said the decision to strip him of citizenship could be attributed largely to his newspaper’s continuous criticism of Zanzibar’s government (Serikali ya Mapinduzi Zanzibar, SMZ), which he claimed was “failing to adhere to principles of good governance.” • DATE: April 8, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Emmanuel Muga VIOLATIONS: Beaten O n April 8 2003, the chairperson of the Tanzania Football Association (FAT), Muhidin Ndolanga, assaulted Emmanuel Muga, a reporter from the weekly newspaper The Express, for allegedly photographing him illegally. UPDATE • DATE: June 24, 2003 PERSONS/INSTITUTIONS: Ali Nabwa VIOLATIONS: Expelled (update) O n June 24 2003, Ali Nabwa’s passport was confiscated by the Immigration Department on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. Nabwa is the editor of the weekly independent newspaper Dira. So This Is Democracy? 2003 97 Media Institute of Southern Africa