The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tanzanian authorities to lift a 90-day suspension of the popular discussion and news platform JamiiForums and to ensure that media can operate freely in the countdown to October’s elections.
“JamiiForums’ suspension is the latest sign of the Tanzanian government’s deepening suppression of public discourse and raises concerns about access to information ahead of the October 29 elections,” said CPJ Regional Director Angela Quintal. “Authorities should restore JamiiForums’ license and stop using vague and overly broad online content laws to silence critical commentary and restrict press freedom.”
On September 6, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) announced that it had blocked access to JamiiForums and suspended its licence because the platform had published content that “misleads the public,” “defames” the president, and undermines national unity. JamiiForums said on X that the decision arose from its publishing of statements by Tanzanian politician Humphrey Polepole, as well as reports about President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s meeting with a wealthy Zimbabwean businessman “without verifying the facts” or seeking comment from the government.
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CPJ was unable to determine whether the content referred to was published by JamiiForums or by users. Polepole has become critical of the government since resigning from his diplomatic post in July, citing a loss of faith in the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi party, which has won every election since the restoration of multipartyism in 1992. In August, he said October’s elections would be a “sham.”
The TCRA said that JamiiForums had breached online content regulations, which have been criticized for their sweeping censorship of content and require internet service providers to bar access to prohibited content.
JamiiForums’ founder Maxence Melo told Britain’s BBC that the platform did not agree with the directive but had complied and that the platform was no longer available to users in Tanzania. In 2020 Melo was found guilty of obstruction in two cases dating back to 2016 when authorities raided JamiiForums’ offices and arrested him. Melo received CPJ’s 2019 International Press Freedom Award. Samia, who assumed power after her predecessor died in 2021, is seeking to retain the presidency, amid criticism from political opponents and the United Nations about worsening repression.
The TCRA did not respond to CPJ’s emailed queries while chief government spokesperson Gerson Msigwa did not answer written queries sent via messaging application.
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