Erick Kabendera
Dar — ES-SALAAM,
(CAJ News) - MEDIA rights groups fear for the safety of a Tanzanian
journalist forcefully removed from his home by men claiming to be police
officers.
The whereabouts of
Erick Kabendera, an investigative reporter, are unknown after six
uninformed
men took him from his home in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam,
the country's economic hub.
They claimed to be
taking him to the local police station for investigation but colleagues
and a lawyer from the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition have not
found him at the said station.
Lazaro Mambosasa, Dar es Salaam's police chief, professed ignorance at the case.
This brings
memories of the disappearance of freelancer Azory Gwanda, who has not
been seen since 2017 after his abduction allegedly by state security
agents.
The Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) believes this signifies that press freedom is
deteriorating in Tanzania under the presidency of John Magufuli.
Critics accuse Magufuli of running the country with an iron fist since succeeding the moderate Jakaya Kikwete in 2015.
"The manner in
which this journalist was taken, by men claiming to be police, is very
ominous and further evidence that the press is not safe in President
Magufuli's Tanzania," said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Sub-Saharan Africa
representative.
Mumo said authorities must immediately disclose if they are holding Kabendera and ensure the safety of the journalist.
Informally known as
The Bulldozer for his work ethic but otherwise strict nature, Magufuli
is accused of hostility towards private media.
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