H. E. Mr. Ali Hassan Mwinyi
President of the United Republic of Tanzania
Office of the President
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania

Vienna, 10 July 1995

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI) protests most strongly at the recent arrest of the publisher and editor of Shaba, a privately owned daily newspaper.

We are informed that publisher Oliver Msuya and editor Yasin Sadiki were arrested and detained by the Tanzanian authorities on Thursday , 6 July 1995, and that no reasons were given for their arrest.

IPI, a global network of editors and media executives from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 85 countries, believes that the arrests are a further attempt by your government to silence the critical voice of Tanzania’s independent press in general, and of Shaba in particular, during the run-up to the country’s first multi-party elections on 29 October.

The maintenance and fostering of an independent, pluralistic and free media is essential to the development of democracy in Tanzania. We therefore strongly urge that Messrs Msuya and Sadiki are released immediately and unconditionally and that the country’s independent press is allowed to operate without further harassment.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director