Gazeti la The Guardian la Uingereza lazungumzia udhalimu dhidi ya wanahabari wa Tanzania. Lawataja Kibanda,CHAHALI, Kabendera

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Tanzanian journalists under attack

Journalists in Tanzania are being intimidated by beatings, harassment and death threats. In the latest example, Absalom Kibanda, editor of the newspaper Mtanzania (The Tanzanian), was attacked outside his home and suffered serious head injuries.

He was taken to hospital in Dar-Es-Salaam but the gravity of his injuries may require him to be flown to South Africa for special treatment.

Kibanda, who is chairman of the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF), is also the managing editor of the Swahile daily Tanzania Daima. The attack is thought to be related to his journalistic work.

TEF secretary general Meena Neville said: "They probably just want silence him through torture and intimidation".

The assault on Kibanda comes weeks after two other disturbing incidents. In the first, Scottish police informed a UK-based Tanzanian journalist, Evarist Chahali, that they had uncovered death threats against him.

In the second, journalist Erick Kabendera has been subjected to episodes of harassmentapparently in retaliation for having testified against his former employer, the Tanzanian media mogul, Reginald Mengi, in a UK libel case in November last year.

His home in Tanzania has been burgled three times; officials have interrogated his elderly parents about their right to be Tanzanian citizens; and the couple were also told their son was under scrutiny for selling secrets to European powers.

Kabendera worked for a period in Britain in 2009 on The Times and The Independentthrough the David Astor journalism awards trust. His case has been highlighted by the former UK high commissioner to Kenya, Sir Edward Clay.

These three instances follow the murder of two journalists in separate incidents in late 2012 - Daud Mwangosi and Issa Ngumba - and last year's closure of the newspaper MwanaHalisi.

Sources: Article 19/African Arguments In Swahili: Raimwema

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UANDISHI GANI HUU?ETI WALIOUAWA KTK AJALI YA CHENGE MACHANGUDOA!

(Picha kwa hisani ya KENNEDY)

Gazeti la Majira limepotea mtandaoni kwa muda mrefu sasa,na kwa akina sie tunaotegemea habari za nyumbani kupitia nakala za kielektroniki za magazeti husika mkombozi wetu mkuu amebaki Mr Kennedy.Na ni kwa kupitia tovuti yake ndipo nilikutana na version isiyopendeza ya habari kuhusu ajali iliyomhusisha Mzee wa Vijisenti,Andrew Chenge,na kupelekea vifo vya akinadada wawili.

Gazeti la Majira lilidai kuwa marehemu hao ni "machangudoa waliokuwa wanatokea Maisha Club".Sijui vyanzo (sources) vyao vya habari husika ni vipi lakini mwandishi yeyote mwenye busara angepaswa kujiridhisha kuhusu identity halisi ya marehemu hasa kwa vile tunazungumzia watu waliopoteza maisha.Hivi mwandishi huyo atajisikiaje iwapo baada ya uchunguzi itagundulika kuwa marehemu hao hawakuwa machangudoa?In fact,magazeti kadhaa yameripoti maelezo ya ndugu za marehemu yanayoeleza kwamba mmoja wao alikuwa mfanyabishara na mwingine mfanyakazi wa hoteli jijini Mwanza.

Pengine haikuwa nia ya mwandishi kuwa-describe marehemu hao kama changudoa (labda kutokana na haraka ya kuwahisha habari kwa mhariri) lakini taswira ya haraka iliyopatikana kutoka katika habari hiyo ni ujenzi wa matabaka:kigogo (mzee wa vijisenti) kagonga fukara (changudoa).By the way,hata hata kama hao mabinti wangekuwa machangudoa as suggested by the Majira reporter bado haiondoi haki yao ya kuwa hai muda huu!

Kingine ambacho hakihusiani na uandishi japo kinahusu tukio hilo la kusikitisha ni namna Jeshi la Polisi linavyoonekana "kubabaika" katika kushughulikia ajali hiyo.Kwa mujibu wa vyombo vya habari,Kamanda wa Polisi wa Kanda Maalum ya Dar es Salaam,Suleiman Kova,ameunda TUME MAALUM ya kuchunguza ajali hiyo eti kwa "kuzingatia uzito wa tukio hilo".Chenge ni Mtanzania kama mie na wewe,na kama amehusika na ajali basi sheria za uslama barabarani zifanye kazi yake.Sijui ni madereva wangapi walalahoi wanaopata "bahati" kama ya Chenge ya kuundiwa tume!

Kamanda Kova anadai kuwa tume hiyo imeundwa ili "kusiwepo mwanya wowote ,taratibu zote zitafuatwa bila kujali nani na wala nafasi aliyonayo....na kuleta uwazi na utawala bora" (kwa mujibu wa gazeti la Majira) na pia amenukuliwa na gazeti la Mwananchi akisema kuwa "hapa bwana hakuna mchezo wala hakuna kuangalia vyeo wala nani ni nani...".Hivi matamshi kama hayo (iwapo kesi itapelekwa mahakamini) hayawezi kutumiwa na wakili wa Chenge kudai "ameonewa kwa vile Kamanda Kova alishadai hawataangalia vyeo-which directly points to Chenge ambaye licha ya kuwa ex-minister,pia ni munge na kigogo wa CCM?"

Kama nilivyoandika jana,tuendelee kuwapa polisi benefit of doubt kwa matarajio kwamba wanafahamu bayana kuwa tukio hilo linaangaliwa na Watanzania wengi kama kipimo cha haki sawa kwa wote (huku wakiwa na kumbukumbu ya kesi ya marehemu Ditto).

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