Tanzania has suspended the online operations of a top newspaper publisher after one of its publications ran an animated advert depicting the country’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and referencing a spate of recent abductions and killings of dissidents.
The advert, published on X and Instagram on Tuesday by the Citizen, an English-language newspaper, showed a character resembling the president flipping through TV channels. Each channel showed people speaking about loved ones they had lost through disappearances.
In a statement on Wednesday night, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said it had suspended the online licences of Mwananchi Communications, which publishes the Citizen and other titles, for 30 days pending other regulatory action. It said the offending content “threatens and is likely to affect and harm national unity and social peace”.
The Citizen said it would continue publishing print editions while it engaged with the regulator. Its managing editor, Mpoki Thomson, said in a statement that the animation had been withdrawn because of “the misinterpretation it has generated”.
Tito Magoti, a Tanzanian human rights lawyer, said the suspension was “all but retaliation on press freedom” and that it aimed to “make sure that critical journalism is not practised in the country”. “The TCRA is trying to manage journalistic work, which is not the kind of oversight that is needed,” he said.
The one-minute clip depicted six people, including the opposition leader Tundu Lissu, of the Chadema party, voicing their sadness and concern over killings and disappearances.
“The political status of our country is not good at all. First of all, we as the opposing party, we’re in a funeral. Our leader has been kidnapped and murdered violently,” said the Lissu character, appearing to refer to the death of Ali Mohamed Kibao, a member of the party’s national secretariat, who was found dead last month, his face doused with acid, after he was abducted by armed men.
Another character said: “Up until now, whenever I think about my child I just cry. I’m frustrated. It has been a long time, but I still can’t forget.”
Hassan has faced mounting domestic and international criticism over allegations that the security forces are behind the kidnapping and murder of opposition figures. In the past two months, the government has banned two rallies by Chadema and arrested its leaders and supporters.
Hassan took power after the sudden death of the authoritarian leader John Magufuli in 2021. She was initially feted for removing restrictions on opposition rallies and the media. However, observers and rights groups say Hassan is resorting to the censorship and repression tactics used by her predecessor.
Magufuli’s administration frequently revoked newspaper licences, including that of the Citizen, for publishing content that it deemed negative towards the government.
Oryem Nyeko, the Tanzania researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “It seems she [Hassan] is going by the Magufuli playbook by banning media and arresting opposition. And all because people are raising concerns about real issues. That’s a really scary climate.”
