PREVIEW
Ahead of investigations into the killing of demonstrators the CCM government is beefing up its control of the media
The government’s crackdown on dissent is continuing after the state’s accreditation agency for journalists said that it would rigorously enforce the Media Services Act to ensure that only people with a license can publish content.
The Journalism Accreditation Board said it had identified individuals practising journalism without meeting the legal requirements since last October’s elections.
Three journalists were among the hundreds of Tanzanians killed during protests following the elections, awarded to President Samia Suluhu Hassan with 98% of the vote after the main opposition candidates were banned from standing.
Acting JAB Director Patrick Kipangula says that the move is about professionalising journalism and that practising journalism in Tanzania without accreditation is illegal. He added that almost 4,000 journalists have registered with the board and are legally permitted to work.
However, civil society groups contend that the 2024 law gives the regulatory body the sole power to decide what is required to obtain a license. Tightening enforcement will give the state more power to silence its critics, they say.
It is a far cry from the early days of President Hassan’s government when she promised ‘better and friendly laws and regulations that would protect journalists and open more space for the freedom of expression and the media' and lifted a ban on a handful of media outlets who had criticised her predecessor John Magufuli (Dispatches, 19/5/22, Lifting media curbs points to President's growing confidence).
While President Hassan has set up a reconciliation commission after a committee of inquiry publishes its draft report on the violence in February, few expect her regime to loosen the rules on media and political freedoms (AC Vol 67 No 1, Economy holds the key to Hassan’s control).
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