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The Tanzanian government has imposed
Tanzanian civil society groups have called on the government and security forces to protect basic human rights, in a rare outspoken criticism of President John Magufuli's power.
The coalition, the Forum of Directors of Civil Society Organizations, made up of 65 influential rights groups from all East African nations, said it noted with concern the deterioration of human rights in the region. during the last two years.
"Democratic rights, freedom of badembly and badociation are getting worse," the group said in a joint statement released last Monday.
"For us, this situation can be seen as a threat to national unity and the disruption of national peace."
Critics say that Magufuli has unleashed a wave of oppression since his election in 2015, cracking down on opposition figures.
"Leaders must respect national laws and the constitution," the statement said, saying security forces should "protect political meetings instead of banning and disrupting them."
Police "crack down on multi-party politics," the group said, noting that "internal meetings of opposition parties have been attacked or banned".
They also called on Magufuli to engage directly with opposition parties and leaders, warning against "restrictive" laws imposed on parties that they said violated the constitution.
The group includes the Center for Legal and Human Rights (LHRC) and the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Tanzania (THRDC), two key groups of civil society, as well as grbadroots organizations. Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago of the Indian Ocean.
All feared that the deterioration of human rights would undermine peace in Tanzania and wanted to lift the red flag to warn that the country was headed in the wrong direction.
"As citizens of the United Republic of Tanzania, having the constitutional obligation to protect national solidarity, unity, justice and peace, we have found it desirable to speak and advise our political and government leaders, "reads the statement.
"Our fear is that if this situation persists, we would build a nation with a large group of people who felt excluded and discriminated against," the statement said.
Last month, Freeman Mbowe, head of the main Tanzanian opposition party, Chadema, condemned what he described as a climate of fear installed by a "police state" after being jailed for more than three years. month.
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