The Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ) contacted Tanzanian authorities on Tuesday to lift the suspension of information platform JamiiForums and safeguard press flexibility in advance of the October 29, 2025, elections
CPJ’s Regional Director, Angela Quintal, slammed the suspension, calling it a clear initiative to reduce public argument and restrict access to information. She advised Tanzanian authorities to bring back the news system and avoid using “vague and excessively broad” online web content regulations to silence dissent and undermine press flexibility.
On September 6, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) put on hold the permit of Tanzanian social media sites and information platform JamiiForums for a duration of 90 days, after blocking accessibility to the site. In its choice, the TCRA mentioned that the platform breached the Electronic and Postal Communications Act , mentioning magazine of misleading web content that sullied the country’s head of state and undermined nationwide unity.
In a statement released on X, previously Twitter, JamiiForums claimed the suspension arised from publishing declarations by Tanzanian politician Humphrey Polepole, a well-known doubter of the head of state and federal government, along with records on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s meeting with a Zimbabwean entrepreneur that were released without reality confirmation or seeking federal government comment. CPJ, nevertheless, noted it might not identify whether the questioned material was released by JamiiForums or its customers. The company additionally reported that it had actually gotten in touch with the TCRA and a federal government speaker for explanation, but got no feedback.
Tanzania has previously faced criticism for abusing on-line content laws to close down social networks platforms and regulate the circulation of information in the nation. In 2024, Tanzanian Net Expert obstructed accessibility to the social media system X in the middle of political unrest including the federal government and opposition celebrations. Civils rights organizations have additionally condemned the federal government’s reductions of political dissent through arbitrary apprehensions, social media restrictions, and platform shutdowns ahead of neighborhood political elections. Furthermore, Maxence Melo, founder of JamiiForums, was jailed and founded guilty for running an unregistered web site, yet was acquitted in 2020
Ahead of the October 29 political elections, the UN also expressed serious issues over the climbing use of violence and suppression in the nation against human rights supporters and resistance members, mentioning enforced loss and scare tactics of reporters.