Quarterly Performance Report #3: Boresha Habari/Tanzania Media and Civil Society Strengthening Activity

The program is implemented at the field level by Internews and works with local and international partners, including the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT), Tanzania Bora Initiative (TBI), JamiiForums, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), and GeoPoll. The objectives of the program include improving the media enabling environment, strengthening the professionalization of media and journalists, increasing the capacity and sustainability of community radio stations, and strengthening targeted civil society organizations' ability to effectively use the media to communicate and advocate on key issues. During the third quarter of the project, Internews and its partners noted that the Tanzanian government continued to impose significant restrictions on media freedom. The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) issued a decision against five television stations, fining them over TZS 60 million ($27,000) for airing a press statement issued by the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) on human rights violations. The TCRA cited the news bulletins as being "seditious, inciting violence, and further were against journalists' professional conduct." The LHRC condemned the TCRA decision. The Catholic Church of Tanzania denounced the violations of democratic principles and freedom of expression by the government of President John Magufuli, accusing him of endangering "national unity." A local leader of the main Tanzanian opposition party, Chadema, was found beaten to death, and a first-year university student was killed by a bullet while on a bus in Dar es Salaam. The death of the student led to the arrest of six police officers, and seven senior Chadema leaders, including national chairman Freeman Mbowe, were accused of organizing the illegal public demonstration that led to the student's death. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) banned several songs in order to protect certain "cultural norms." The ban was met with criticism from the main opposition party and The Legal and Human Rights Centre, who stated that the ban was an "attempt to silence artists from their freedom of expression." The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) held the first hearing of the case filed by MCT, the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC), and the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) challenging the Media Services Act. The petitioners want the court to repeal sections of the Media Services Act that they say deny Tanzanians freedoms of press and of expression, which are enshrined in the regional East African Community (EAC) treaty. The TCRA published the new Electronic and Postal Communications (online content) Regulations, which give TCRA powers to regulate online content by keeping a register of all bloggers, online forums, online radio, and TV outlets. Failure to observe the regulations is punished with fines of TZS 5 million ($2000), a minimum of 12 months in jail, or both. Azory Gwanda, a reporter for the Mwananchi and The Citizen newspapers and author of several articles investigating attacks in Kibiti District in Pwani Province, has yet to be found after disappearing on November 21, 2017.