Nairobi, July 30, 2012--The Tanzanian government today
banned indefinitely the critical Swahili-language weekly MwanaHalisi, accusing the paper of
publishing seditious articles, according to local journalists and a statement
by the information ministry.
The ministry claimed that MwanaHalisi's four July editions contained seditious and false material but did not specify particular articles. Under the 1976 Newspaper Act, Tanzanian authorities can suspend a newspaper at will if they deem that it has "seditious intent," according to CPJ research. MwanaHalisi Chief Editor Jabir Idrissa told CPJ that the paper is considering filing an appeal.
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