Freedom of Press in Tanzania: "Mwangosi killing horrifies the entire region"

Editorial.

IN SUMMARY: While the Tanzania government has constituted a team to investigate the incident and make a report in 30 days, the circumstances of Mwangosi’s death, and recent incidents in the country, show a dangerous trend of intolerance.

..................................

A Tanzanian journalist going about his work in Tanzania was killed in a most violent and brutal manner last week. Daudi Mwangosi was apparently blown up by a canister fired by a policeman.

While the Tanzania government has constituted a team to investigate the incident and make a report in 30 days, the circumstances of Mwangosi’s death, and recent incidents in the country, show a dangerous trend of intolerance.

Pictures circulated on the social media show the journalist being battered by policemen before the deadly explosion.

The journalist had apparently been caught up in a violent altercation between police and supporters of the opposition party, Chadema. Hopefully, the investigation will establish whether or not the journalist was targeted by the officers.

However, while the journalist’s killing is disturbing — indeed the media fraternity in Tanzania says the incident has caused fear among all journalists — the violence directed at opposition party supporters by the police is equally worrying.

Before this latest incident, other disturbing reports have been emanating from Tanzania; a doctor leading a strike was kidnapped and taken to a forest, where he was beaten and left for dead.

Tanzania must assure the world that it respects the media’s role as a watchdog of the people. That journalists will be allowed to do their work without fear of getting killed, tortured, arbitrarily arrested or deported.

It must assure the world that it deserves respect as a democratic state.

Source: The East African (08/09/2012): http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/OpEd/editorial/Mwangosi+killing+horrifies+the+entire+region/-/434752/1500586/-/13bcrh/-/index.html