The Government of Tanzania has temporarily suspended the online publications of a large press group, for having released a video about the murders and disappearances of opponents, and pointing out authoritarian practices attributed to the country's president.
On Tuesday, the English-language daily The Citizen, which belongs to the Mwananchi group, published on its social networks a video that showed the head of state, Samia Suluhu Hassan, turning on her television and being confronted with news of murders, kidnappings, parents looking for their children and citizens who fear for their future.
The video echoes criticism from human rights groups and Western governments denouncing the increase in repression by authorities in the period leading up to November's municipal elections and general elections at the end of 2025.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been the target of harsh criticism in recent months, accused of using the authoritarian practices of her predecessor John Magufuli, after showing signs of democratic openness when she came to power in March 2021.
The main opposition party, Chadema, accused the security forces of being involved in the disappearances of some of its members and the murder of Ali Mohamed Kibao, one of its leaders, who was found dead on September 7.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, the Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) of Tanzania announced the suspension for 30 days of the Mwananchi group's online services, claiming that the video broadcast on October 1 "brought negative interpretations to the nation, which affects and undermines national unity, peace and cohesion".
On the same day, The Citizen announced that it was withdrawing the video "which portrayed events that raised concerns about the safety of people in Tanzania", admitting the "incorrect interpretation to which it gave rise, diverging from the original intention".
Mwananchi Communications Ltd, one of Tanzania's leading private media groups, is a subsidiary of Kenya's Nation Media Group. In addition to The Citizen, it owns two other Swahili-language newspapers, Mwananchi and Mwanaspoti, and also has an online television service (Mwananchi Digital).
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