TANZANIA JOURNALISTS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST POLICE KILLING OF THEIR COLLEAGUE

The Minister for Home Affairs Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi,(in white Kaunda suit) received a hostile reception and had to be whisked away by the police

BY EAJA
PRESS FREEDOM ALERT
DAR ES SALAAM
SEPTEMBER 11 2012

Eastern Africa Journalists Association has lauded the solidarity demonstrated by the Tanzanian media fraternity over the killing of TV journalist, Daudi Mwangosi last week which has been blamed on the police who were dispersing a rally convened by an opposition party in Iringa Region of the country.

EAJA Secretary General Omar Faruk Osman said the demonstration held today Tuesday September 11, 2012 by hundred of journalists including editors in the streets of Dar es Salaam was “a powerful statement to the Tanzanian government to launch full and transparent investigations into the killing of the journalist.”

Editors and journalists poured into the streets of Dar es Salaam from morning in a peaceful demonstration to protest the killing of their colleague, Mwangosi. They carried placards condemning the killing and calling for a through probe into the incident.

Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) and Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) have formed a probe team of their own to inquire into the killing of the Channel Ten journalist. The task force consisting of three people was given 8 days to come up with the report.

EAJA, while supporting the probe by TEF and MCT said “all indications from photographs appearing in various media indicate point to the police being culpable”,

“The police cannot be trusted to conduct any independent investigation as they are already incriminated. They should not attempt to conceal the facts of this case.” added Osman.

During the demonstration, the journalists became hostile to the Tanzanian Minister of Home Affairs Dr. Emmanuel Nchimbi who arrived at the scene where the journalists were addressing a rally and attempted to address them. He had wanted to address the angry editors and journalists at the end of demonstration.

The killing of Mwangosi, who was working for Channel Ten, in Tanzania’s Iringa Region on 2 September 2012 has sparked outrage both in Tanzania and internationally.

A probe team led by the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Mr. Robert Manumba, was formed on Monday, 3 September, to investigate the circumstances that led to the killing of the journalist. The investigating team consists of experts from various state organs including the chief government chemist.

There have been varying accounts of how the journalist met his death. There have been distressing images of the remains of the late Mwangosi circulating on several social networks and blogs. The images show his stomach ripped open by what is believed to have been an explosive.

EAJA has demanded that Tanzanian authorities carry out “credible investigations” to establish the cause of Mwangosi's death.