Tanzanian media freedom is not in safe hands

A Tanzanian TV journalist named Joseph Gandye was arrested  in August for “publishing false information” after he broadcast a story alleging police abuse of detainees. Gandye’s arrest came a month after police charged reporter Erick Kabendera with tax evasion, money laundering and organized crime. 

Rights groups say the arrests are part of a pattern in which Magufuli uses the new media laws in order to silence critics.Since Tanzania’s President John Magufuli assumed office in 2015, critics say Magufuli’s government has squeezed press freedoms through harsh media laws and intimidation.Under Magufuli, Tanzania enacted strict laws on cyber crimes and “media services.”