LHRC: Statement on Suspension of the Citizen Newspaper (28.02.2019)

Tanzania: The Republic where the President cannot manage anything negative!

I have noticed that people are dealing too much with the negative, with what is wrong. … Why not try the other way, to look into the patient and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?”Thich Nhat Hanh

Today, its reported that The Citizen Newspaper has been suspended for 7 days for publishing a story on how the shilling is deprecating towards the US Dollar. That story was published on the 23rd February 2019. Therefore, the state has acted against the publication for saying possibly the truth.

The state who are ensuring, that less and less free speech. Where opposition politicians cannot do their job, do their duty as parties or even try to gain new electorate without getting in legal jeopardy. A Republic where the statistics and research have to accepted by the righteous board or public body before being published. Where bloggers, social media personalities and other to register themselves and pay yearly fees to be able to do so.

The state has under President John Pombe Magufuli become a shrinking space for free though, assembly and even liberty. As even demonstrations and planned movement of dissidents has been hit down hard by the authorities, as people didn’t celebrate Union Day in 2018. Because, the army was in the streets and prepared for the planned demonstrations. They were instead in their homes in safety, than going out to meet the soldiers.

That is what the CCM is serving the public under Magufuli. A man who cannot stomach critics, stomach true criticism or even balanced reporting. He can only manage praise, ass-kissing and blind devotion. Nothing else matters to the President.

In the Republic, everything has to be positive, the news got to be good and show the greatness of everything Magufuli and his administration does. If not make the Opposition look like traitors, thugs and criminals, because they are prosecuted for actually trying to do party work and rally their supporters, which they have to notify and get accepted to do by proper authorities.

That is why, today is another day, another newspaper, another media house that has gotten punished in Tanzania. This is not the first and not the last under this President. There been suspension of radios and newspapers before. But his actions are getting reckless, his motives are more bleak and weak. The President is looking like a man who needs a constant approval. He needs respect, but he isn’t that respected. That because he spreads fear, instead of bringing leadership or being a role model.

The President is using the law enforcement and fear to get people in line. Instead of doing good things and changing society in a positive direction. That is why the shillings sucks compared to the US Dollars. That is why the President and his administration suspends the Citizens. Because, the President sucks and cannot manage to fix the issue. Instead, he punish the messenger…

Not that one, that created the environment for which the message was sent from. Peace.

Uganda Police Force: Press Release – Police Refutes Attack Claims Against Senior Officer (20.02.2019)

Philippines: Statement of the Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation – Joint Statement on the Harassment of Maria Ressa (15.02.2019)

RDC: CSAC – Communique de Presse (12.02.2019)

BBC News Media Correction in a misreport of Sindika Dokolo (11.02.2019)

It is reassuring that media like British Broadcasting Corporation can recognize to right a wrong that has been done, in the fact checking.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 11, 2019 – On February 6 2019, BBC finally agreed to correct their reporting, correcting the fact that Mr Sindika Dokolo was never and had not legitimately been accused of any crimes in Democratic Republic of Congo (or any other jurisdiction).

Defamation law posted on BBC website states: Journalists must operate within legal and ethical guidelines. Defamatory statements are those which ‘tend’ to expose a person to ‘hatred, ridicule or contempt’, cause them to be ‘shunned or avoided’ or lowered in the estimation of ‘right-thinking members of society’.

Journalism is about finding facts, interpreting their importance, and then sharing that information with the audience. In this case, the fact checking missed the fact that the judge in Democratic Republic of Congo who had made an unsubstantiated and false judgement, of fraud, was arrested and jailed.

FreedomHouse.org states that in the Democratic Republic of Congo, civilians and opposition politicians are unable to influence government policies through elections. Civil liberties—including freedom of expression and association—are repressed, and corruption is systemic throughout the government. Armed groups and insecurity are pervasive in many areas of the country, and state security forces have been implicated in human rights abuses.

On July 2016, a judge in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said she was pressured by the intelligence service to convict opposition politician. as reported on BBC news.

This is something that GAN has raised as a red flag: GAN the Business Anti-Corruption Portal recent report describes DRCongo judicial institutions having been plagued with widespread corruption and poses a high risk for companies. Approximately a third of all surveyed companies identified the courts as a constraint to doing business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.(Business-Anti-Corruption.com)

It is reassuring that media like British Broadcasting Corporation can recognize to right a wrong that has been done, in the fact checking.

Malawi: UTM letter to MISA Malawi – “Apology for the Assault of Journalist George Banda” (09.02.2019)

The Media is under siege in Uganda!

There is no joke, there is no play in concern for the journalists in the Republic of Uganda. This can be said after the Uganda Communications Commission yesterday has suspended the Daily Monitor Online Newspaper after publishing a traditional healer story connected with the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga on their pages in the end of January.

As that is happening, today, there was arrest of Next Media Limited, which are behind the NBS Television, who has arrested the wife Vivian Serwanjja of senior investigator Solomon Serwanjja, also arrested Kassim Mohammed, Rashid Kaweesa and Godfrey Badebye from the BBC TV. All of them gotten arrested today. As they were working on an investigation into government drugs and the black market trading in the Republic.

As that is happening, the journalists Raymond Wamala (Spyreports Uganda), Bob Atwiine (Spyreports Uganda), John Njoroge (CEO Magazine), Richard Wanambwa (Eagle Online) and Andrew Irumba Live (Spy Uganda) have been summoned by CID to be at the Police HQ tomorrow. Tomorrow they will be questioned and interviewed by the Police for certain stories they have posted or published. As they have been critical of the regime and what they are claiming. All of these has been there before, as the state tries to intimidate them from doing investigative reporting.

As, we see, it is a pattern, that repeats itself. Every-time someone digs deep or tries to uncover the truth. The state answer with intimidation, arbitrary arrests and even taking people hostage, like they have done in Vivian’s case. Today, Solomon has been hiding, therefore, the state took Vivian in instead. That is how they deem fair treatment of citizens and of the ones possibly exposing the oppression and unjust in society. While doing that, they themselves become criminals and outlaws. As they are just doing their job and trying to report on the events and acts that is done in the Republic.

The media is just telling what they are seeing, they are just exposing and revealing what information they are gathering and finding. They are not trying to make a situation look different than it is. They are trying to reports and explain the background and the context to all the acts that is done in the Republic. If the Republic and government has nothing to fear, then they should not fear journalists. But if the ills of society comes from the government, than the journalists will find it, as they dig into the realities and society they are apart.

Nevertheless, reporting and journalism isn’t a crime, they are just painting the canvass, they are not trigger the gun, but explaining why the person used the gun and the possible reasons for why the person used it in the first place. They are just painting the story, they are not creating the stories. That is reality, that is why these arrests, which isn’t new. The summoning of others, isn’t new either. In the middle of December 2018, the same people was summoned by the CID. So, they are doing it again, apparently.

The BBC has gotten arrested at Abim Hospital and in Kasese in recent years, as they were reporting both during the Campaign before the General Election. Also, as the Special Force Command was burning down the Palace in Kasese. I even remember the journalist outside of Besigye house in Kasangati, Wakiso, as Besigye was house-arrested. He was taken directly, as he was filming it live and was detained while he was on air. That was right after the General Election of 2016. These are just some quick examples, where the authorities has silenced the media. Because, they want to keep to people in the dark.

The Police continues to do this, the authorities wants this, but they are clearly sending the message, that they want to keep the public in the dark. Peace.

Daily Monitor: Press Statement on the UCC directing it to suspend the online newspaper (07.02.2019)

Uganda: Next Media Services – Press Release on the arrested journalists (07.02.2019)