ARTICLE 19 welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania). This submission focuses on Tanzania’s compliance with its obligations under international human rights law to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression and information.
During the first cycle of its UPR, Tanzania committed to:
- Guarantee freedom of expression, association and assembly by allowing human rights defenders, political opponents and journalists to express freely their views in line with international human rights law (Netherlands)
- Work with the media and other stakeholders to ensure that all organs of the State understand and appreciate the constitutional guarantees of freedoms of press and assembly (USA)
- Adopt a new media law enshrining freedom of the press (Canada)
- Adopt new legislation that guarantees the freedom of the media as well as the right to information (Norway)
ARTICLE 19 observes that Tanzania has not made significant progress in implementing the recommendations it accepted during the first cycle. Laws negatively affecting freedom of expression have not been repealed or amended and the space for media to freely operate has become increasingly restricted. Tanzania has also not passed an access to information law despite its commitment to do so during the previous UPR and at the October 2013 London Summit of the Open Government Partnership (OGP).
This submission addresses the following:
- Laws restricting freedom of expression
- Harassment, intimidation and attacks on journalists
- Participation in public affairs and access to information