 |
Magufuli
— pictured on a campaign
billboard for the 2015 president elections — has been accusing of seeking to muzzle dissent
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Tanzanians have to pay US$900
for a permit to blog, a staggering amount for many in the country, say critics
who see the fee as a further bid by President John Magufuli to gag dissident
voices.
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Tanzania
Bloggers Network
|
AFP
report continues:
A
sweeping new law covering a broad range of online activity was signed in
mid-March.
Under
it, the operators of online platforms such as blogs, podcasts and live
streaming services will have to pay stiff fees to operate.
To
launch a blog, for example, a user must pay over two million Tanzanian shillings
(US$900, €750) in fees to get a license. A renewal fee of over US$400 is due
every three years thereafter.
"The
simple creation of a platform represents several months' salary for a
blogger," said Arnaud Froger of the press freedom watchdog Reporters
Without Borders (RSF).
"Tanzanian
authorities want to get rid of the blogosphere and they couldn't have chosen a
better way to do it," he said in a statement.
"The
climate of fear and self-censorship that has already affected traditional media
is now reaching online media, where many journalists found refuge."
Tanzania
has a vibrant blogging community, whose members report or comment extensively
on news, entertainment and music, as well as sport, lifestyle and travel.
Under
the new law, a blogger can face fines of up to US$2,200 for publishing content
considered "indecent, obscene (or) hate speech", or even just for
causing "annoyance".
The
legislation broadly defines a blog as "a website containing a writer's or
group of writers' own; experiences, observations, opinions including current
news, events, journals, advertisements and images, video clips and links to
other websites".
- Getting rid of critics
-
Magufuli,
58, took office in 2015 as a corruption-fighting "man of the people".
But
he has earned criticism for his authoritarian leadership style, with detractors
saying he has clamped down on opposition and freedom of expression.
Under
his rule, numerous opposition members have been arrested or jailed, critical
media shut down and people arrested for perceived "insults" to the
president.
On
February 26, a Tanzanian court handed two five-month jail terms to two
opponents of the regime, including a lawmaker, for allegedly defaming the
president.
A
new law introduced in 2016 required journalists to register themselves as such,
seen as a further bid to curtail the media.
In
March police arrested a driver and a farmer accused of calling for
anti-government protests on social media.
For
many in the online media fraternity, the latest law governing web content is
just another nail in the coffin of media freedom.
"Most
bloggers will not be able to find this money. But the problem is bigger than
the financial aspect," said Maxence Melo, founder of the Jamii Media blog
who has previously been taken to court for refusing to reveal the identity of a
critical contributor to his site.
"The
government's objective is to get rid of sites which are already considered
critical. Because paying a fee doesn't mean you will have a licence, the
relevant government department can still refuse this permit."
During
a public discussion last week over the new law, the secretary general of the
Tanzania Bloggers Network, Frantz Mwantepele, said many would struggle to
"fulfill the conditions in the law".
"The
fees that we are supposed to pay for licenses far surpass the revenues of many
bloggers," he said.
Mike
Mushi, who also works for Jamii Media, asked why the government was imposing
fees when it is not the owner of the internet as a means of publication.
When it comes to traditional radio and television "we know that the government is the owner of the frequencies they use. But is the government the owner of the internet?"
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