Tanzanian investigative journalist accused of cybercrime for false publication against Magufuli

The Tanzanian authorities on Friday indicted a respected journalist and government critic for sedition under cybercrime laws. In one case, critics say that it is another attack on freedom of the press under President John Magufuli.

Erick Kabendera, whose arrest on Monday night in front of his wife in their home in Dar es Salaam has sparked outrage, has been accused of publishing "false and seditious" information, his team said. legal.

Kabendera, a local and international press reporter known for his flawless coverage of the Magufuli administration, was first arrested for being questioned about his citizenship.

But these charges were dropped and replaced by offenses under the Cybercrime Law, a law that defends press freedom defenders, said to have been driven by Magufuli to silence critics.

"He is now accused of cybercrime for publishing false and seditious information," a member of his defense team, Shilinde Swedy told AFP.

"The immigration service has finished with Kabendera, there is no problem of nationality, now there are these accusations of cybercrime."

The Tanzanian authorities have repeatedly questioned Kabendera and her mother about their citizenship status, a tactic according to rights groups that routinely empty critics of silence.

Kabendera had written about being harbaded and harbaded since the election of Magufuli in 2015.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – who called Magufuli "a predator of press freedom" – joined the chorus of local and international rights groups demanding the immediate release of Kabendera.

Since his election, Magufuli has closed the newspapers, banned opposition rallies, stopped live broadcasts of parliamentary sessions and used the cybercrime law to jail critics.

Kabendera is not the first to be charged with sedition under these laws, with journalists charged under the law and newspapers being closed.

Azory Gwanda, a Tanzanian journalist and government critic who disappeared in 2017, has never been found.

Kabendera's whereabouts were unknown hours after his arrest, and six men claimed to be police officers. Authorities then held a press conference to deny that he had been kidnapped.

Magufuli came to power as a "man of the people" fighting corruption, but has since been criticized for his authoritarian leadership style.

The freedom of the press has particularly suffered. Tanzania lost 25 places in RSF's global press freedom ranking this year.