Blitz Bureau
DAR ES SALAAM: Tanzania’s communications regulator has suspended the digital platforms of a local media company over the publication of what it called restricted content, a move one Opposition group said was aimed at muzzling media that is critical of the Government. According to a Reuters report. .
Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said on October 2 that it had suspended online content licences for Mwananchi Communications Ltd for 30 days, saying it had published content on October 1 that damaged the country’s image.
“Mwananchi Communication Ltd published audio-visual content on its social media platforms… that has been prohibited by … the Online Content Regulations 2020,” the regulator said.
“The content has led to negative interpretations to the nation, which is affecting and disrupting unity, peace and national harmony,” it added It, however, did not say what the restricted content was.
Animated video
One of Mwananchi’s publications, The Citizen, published on October 1 an animated video on its X and Instagram platforms depicting a woman watching a TV broadcast that showed people complaining about missing or murdered relatives and friends.
In early September, the body of a senior Opposition official who had been abducted from a bus by armed men was found on the outskirts of commercial capital Dar es Salaam with signs he had been beaten and acid poured on his face, his party said.
The Citizen later deleted the video and issued a statement saying the clip, which “depicted events that raised concerns regarding the safety and security of individuals in Tanzania”, had been misinterpreted.
Revoke ban: Oppn
The country’s second-largest opposition party, ACT-Wazalendo, said the Government should revoke the ban. “The Government is trying to muzzle news outlets which detail the true problems facing Tanzanians,” said Rahma Mwita, ACT-Wazalendo’s shadow minister of information.
The suspension of the company comes as the Tanzania Government faces flak over its treatment of the press, sad the Reuters report. President Samia Suluhu Hassan had garnered praise in the last three years for lifting a ban on political parties’ rallies and for easing media restrictions.
However, critics say recent events including a ban on some protests and the arrest of opposition leaders and journalists reflected a rollback of freedoms. The Government denies the accusations.
