US speaks out against ban on 'The EastAfrican'

New York.  The United States has expressed its concern about the decision by the Tanzanian government to ban the circulation of the regional weekly The EastAfrican.

“A free and open press is essential to the development of democracy and a free and vibrant society,” a State Department official said on Sunday.

The US called upon the government “to make every effort to improve freedom of the press in Tanzania.”

“We also stress the need for the Tanzanian government to continue its work towards passage and implementation of the Media Services and the Right to Information Bills,” he added.  The official said the two legislations should recognise the rights to freedoms of expression and opinion and as well as importance of a free press.

Tanzanian authorities said in a letter dated January 23 that the action was being taken because the 20-year-old paper “has been circulating in the country without being properly registered, contrary to section 6 of the Newspaper Act number 3 of 1976.”

Mr Linus Gitahi, CEO of the Nairobi-based Nation Media Group, which owns the newspaper, said banning the publication was an overreaction.

“It’s unacceptable that a simple cartoon can create such a reaction. When other countries like France are standing with their journalists, shutting down is an extreme measure that we urge the government to reconsider,” said Mr Gitahi, who is also a member of the IPI Executive Board.

He said The EastAfrican was “the only paper that serves the interests of the East African community as it circulates almost evenly across the member states”. NMG chairman Wilfred Kiboro said the government should reconsider its “draconian” decision to ban the newspaper, which has been circulating in the country since it was established in 1994.

“Surely they can’t just wake up now and declare us illegal. If it was an issue of regularising files that does not require such a draconian measure of banning a newspaper,” he said.

Prior to the ban notice, Tanzania Director of Information Services Assah Mwambene had summoned Dar bureau chief Christopher Kidanka and told him that the newspaper harboured a “negative agenda against Tanzania”.

Mr Mwambene was also said to have criticised the paper’s reporting and analysis, including its opinion articles, and its publication of a cartoon depicting President Jakaya Kikwete.

The US statement said Washington agreed with concerns raised by the European Union  (EU) on the ban.

The Vienna-based International Press Institute also voiced its concern about the ban.

Last week, the EU expressed its concern about press freedom in Tanzania over the banning of the weekly.

“It is the duty of the media to work within the law and to make every effort to adopt and adhere to professional standards. But press freedom and freedom to express opinions are fundamental rights of the people, which call for circumspection and proportionality in the application of the law,” the Delegation of the European Union said in a statement.

It noted with concern that modern media legislation guaranteeing citizens’ right to information was yet to be enacted in Tanzania despite the longstanding requests of the media profession and the repeated promises by the government.

“It is recalled that in October 2010 the EU’s independent Election Observation Mission recommended expediting modernisation of the media laws, taking into account stakeholders’ views.

“The Delegation of the European Union calls upon the government to make every effort to preserve the freedom of expression in Tanzania and it urges all stakeholders to prioritise constructive dialogue as the primary means to resolve differences. It also reiterates its commitment to monitor, support, promote and monitor media freedom as a shared value of the EU partnership with Tanzania.”

The Canadian High Commission and Norwegian and Swiss embassies endorsed the statement.