Journalists should stand for their rights

Hey Mr IGP are you still Mwema or you have changed into something else what are your guys doing?

By Elias Mhegera
The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned the Wednesday (26 January 2011) attack on the Zanzibari TV journalist, Munir Zakaria, by a group of Zanzibar Council Municipal Council policemen.

In a statement that was circulated by Tervil Okoko, who is the EAJAs director of advocacy and research the act was not expected in country which was boasting of championing democracy.

According to EAJA affiliate, Tanzania Union of Journalists (TUJ), Munir who works with Channel Ten TV station in the semi-autonomous Zanzibar Island was attacked and badly beaten up by the policemen.

The journalist was attacked while taking pictures of an evacuation operation by the municipal council at the Darajani area of the island. The policemen had accused him of inciting the residents against the evacuation exercise.


EAJA secretary-general Omar Faruk Osman, condemn the act as being retrogressive in the zeal for freedom of the media. “We condemn this act of aggression and violence in the strongest terms possible, and we demand justice as we call upon the authorities in Zanzibar to ensure those responsible for this attack are brought to book,” he said.

He advised the Zanzibar goverbemtn to refrain from intimidating journalists when they are conducting their activities, “this journalist was on duty and his calling and profession must also be respected just like others. This act violates the freedom of the press,” he added.

The journalist was arrested and taken to the Municipal Offices where he was ordered by the Municipal Director, Rashid Ali Juma, to surrender his camera, tape recorder and video camera failure to which he would be detained for “having filed a TV report on the Darajani conflict”.

He was released two hours later after thorough interrogation. Munir later told EAJA he had already filed a complaint with the police at the Malindi police station.

This is the second a journalist to be attacked in Tanzania in less than one month. Early January, regular police officers beat up Tanzania Daima newspaper journalist, Ali Lityawi, and seized his camera allegedly for taking picture without permission in Shinyanga region
END