Rights activists: Unban MwanaHalisi

BY DEVOTA MWACHANG`A

Human rights crusaders have threatened to launch a countrywide demonstration and blacklist officials who banned Mwanahalisi newspaper, if the ban is not reversed.

The activists issued the warning yesterday, three weeks since the paper was banned by the Information, Youth, Sports ministry.

The activists who gathered at MISA-Tan under the umbrella of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) said the decision was provoked by the recent statement by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda in the National Assembly.

The Chairman of THRDC Steering Committee, Marcossy Albanie faulted the premier’s justification of the government action, saying if the owners of Mwanahalisi were not satisfied by the move, they have a right to appeal.

“In fact the Prime minister’s answers have postponed the problem instead of solving it. We now want the government to nullify the ban of the newspaper within seven days, taking into consideration the public interests,” he said.

Albanie said: “We are going to protest against the government’s action of banning MwanaHalisi, which we see as inhibiting freedom of expression, human rights and torturing activists and defenders of rights,” he said.

He also called for a blackout on the Information, Youth and Sports minister, deputy minister, permanent secretary and director of Tanzania Information Services (Maelezo).”

For his part, THRDC Programme officer Elias Mhegera called upon journalists to continue to defend peoples’ rights, and refuse being manipulated to clear some peoples’ status.

Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Tanzania (MISA-Tan) Chairman Mohamed Tibanyendera said his office is ready to help MwanaHalisi by finding lawyers to defend the Newspaper, if it appeals against the ban in court. “Not only for MwanaHalisi, but we are ready to help any journalist who has filed a case in the court”.

The government banned MwanaHalisi on July 30 this year accusing it of publishing seditious material. Acting Director of Information in the Information ministry, Fabian Rugaimukamu, said in Dar es Salaam that the government acted in line with clause 25 (i) of the Newspaper Act of 1976 and Government Notice number 258 as published on July 27 this year.

According to Rugaimukamu, MwanaHalisi issues number 302 of July 11-18, number 303 of July 18-24 and number 304 of July 25-August 01 this year as well as several previous ones published information aimed at spreading fear in society.

He said the paper’s editor was summoned and warned several times but refused to acknowledge that the contents of his paper did not adhere to professional requirements and added no value to society.

“The editor has in his defence always quoted Article 18 of the Constitution (of Tanzania), which grants freedom of expression, but deliberately avoided reference to Article 30, which defines limits to that freedom,” he noted.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (22/08/2012): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=45045