Tanzania suspends Mwanahalisi newspaper for six months

Tanzania has suspended the weekly newspaper Mwanahalisi for six months over alleged breaches of media law after it published a story alleging government divisions, the information ministry said Wednesday.

The Information Services Department said the suspension takes effect immediately and covers both print and electronic editions of the newspaper, which has long been critical of the government.

Authorities said the action followed a story published earlier this month alleging that Vice-President Emmanuel Nchimbi was unwilling to step down after pressure from the ruling party. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, also alleged that Nchimbi had disagreed with President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Authorities said the article lacked balance and verification, including because Nchimbi had not been interviewed and claims attributed to the information minister were not independently confirmed. They also cited an error in which a photograph of the information minister was captioned as Nchimbi.

Under Tanzania's Media Services Act, Mwanahalisi has 30 days to appeal the decision.

The government also said it had summoned another newspaper, Jamvi la Habari, to explain recent stories that may have breached regulations.

Mwanahalisi was among four newspapers allowed to resume publishing in February 2022 after having been banned under former president John Magufuli. Reporters Without Borders ranks Tanzania 117th out of 180 countries for press freedom.