(Bloomberg) — Tanzania has suspended the digital arm of the country’s largest media house after it released an animated piece about the kidnappings of people critical of the country’s leaders.
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The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority suspended online media licenses for Mwananchi Communications Ltd., a subsidiary of Nation Media Group Plc, saying it published content that “threatens and is likely to erode and damage national unity and social peace.”
In an 80-second animated video, a woman, purported to be President Samia Suluhu Hassan, goes to watch television and all the channels she flips through show family members complaining about missing relatives.
TCRA placed a 30-day ban on Mwananchi on the grounds that the content was against public order and was intended to ridicule and damage Tanzania’s reputation and status.
Before the ban, Mwananchi removed the animation which he said depicted “events raising concerns about the safety and security of individuals in Tanzania” from his social media platforms.
“Our decision to remove the animation stems from the misinterpretation it has generated, which differs from our original intent,” the company said in a statement.
The Tanganyika Law Society has published a list of 83 people kidnapped by state agents between 2016 and 2024.
On September 6, Ally Mohamed Kibao, a senior member of the main opposition Chadema party, was captured by armed men in civilian clothes. His body was discovered a day later brutally beaten, while his face was doused with acid.
Deusdedith Soka, an active Chadema youth leader, was arrested in August along with two other people. They are still missing. Hassan has ordered an investigation into Kibao’s kidnappings and murder.
Police banned a September 23 street march organized by Chadema to protest the kidnappings. Party chairman Freeman Mbowe and his deputy Tundu Lissu were arrested, who were later released without charge.
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