Human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have accused Tanzania’s president John Magufuli of undermining democratic freedom in the country, reported The Guardian.
In two separate reports released on Monday, the human rights organizations pointed out that after Magufuli came into power in 2015, the Tanzanian government has implemented laws that threaten independent journalism and restricts NGOs and opposition parties from doing their work.
Although Magufuli came to power as a corruption-fighting “man of the people”, he has been criticized for his authoritarian leadership style.
The report added that civil society activism and public discussions on human rights-related issues have also been suppressed and that the authorities’ critical policies have restricted those seeking to challenge the ruling party. The organizations claim the government has shut down newspapers, switched off live broadcasts of parliament, and jailed critics using cybercrime laws. Tanzania’s major English-language paper, The Citizen, was also banned.
“As President Magufuli marks four years in office next month, he must carefully reflect on his government’s record of ruthlessly disemboweling the country’s human rights framework,” said Roland Ebole, Amnesty International’s Tanzania researcher. “His government must repeal all oppressive laws being used to clamp down on dissent and urgently end human rights violations and abuses.”
The organizations also said the government uses the 2015 Statistics Act to control independent research and public access to independent statistical information.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 80 journalists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, bloggers, lawyers, and members of political parties to compile its report. While Amnesty International said it recorded interviews of 68 lawyers, academics, government officials, and representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental groups.
The rights groups also called on the Tanzanian government to drop all charges against journalists and politicians arrested for exercising their rights to free expression and association.
