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Press Freedom Groups Ask for Tanzanian Government Response to Conflicting Statements by the country's foreign minister on the fate of a journalist who disappeared two years ago.
In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, Palamagamba Kabudi, the minister, said that journalist Azory Gwanda had "disappeared and died" somewhere in Rufiji, in eastern Tanzania, without giving further details.
The announcement was criticized by media monitoring bodies and activists who had long called for transparency in the case, which led to an apparent backtracking. by Kabudi on Thursday.
"The reference I made to Azory Gwanda does not contextually mean that Azory Gwanda is confirmed dead." To date, the Tanzanian government has not confirmed whether Azory is dead or alive, said Kabudi quoted by the government.
In a statement released on Thursday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized Kabudi's "informal reference" and accused the government of "displaying a lack of consideration in its handling of the case".
"After a year and a half of silence and minimization of the journalist's disappearance, the minister announced his death without any explanation," AFP representative for Africa AFP told AFP's Arnaud Froger.
"The carelessness with which the Tanzanian authorities handled this case illustrates the lack of respect they have for the safe exercise of free and independent journalism."
Meanwhile, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists has called the minister's remarks "totally inadequate and painful" and has urged the government to make public all the information it has about corruption. fate of Gwanda.
According to Tanzanian Foreign Minister, journalist Azory Gwanda is dead https://t.co/GF6FkMNFQF #Tanzania pic.twitter.com/3iANj0U8eQ
– allAfrica.com (@allafrica) July 12, 2019
Gwanda, newspaper reporter Mwananchi and The Citizen, who was missing during reportedly investigating a series of killings of police officers and local officials in Kibiti, Rufiji District, Pwani Region.
According to his wife, Gwanda reportedly disappeared on November 21, 2017 after leaving in a white Toyota Land Cruiser with strangers during an "emergency trip".
He promised to come back the next night but was never seen again.
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Tanzanian President Magufuli attacked for censorship |
President John Magufuli's government has been heavily criticized by press freedom groups and local rights organizations for trying to stifle freedom of the press in Tanzania.
The government denies the allegations.
Last year, 65 civil society organizations wrote a letter denouncing attacks on the media in the country, citing media closures, persecution and harbadment of independent journalists, as well as the targeting of members of the media. # 39; opposition.
When he came to power in 2015, Magufuli banned the popular newspaper Mawio in its first year in 2016, as well as two radio stations – Radio Five and Magic FM.
Tanzania ranks 118th out of 180 countries in RSF's global press freedom ranking this year, 25 places down from its 2018 ranking.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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