By Lake Zone Watch Writer
The Dar es Salaam-based Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) yesterday vehemently condemned the arrest on undisclosed charges of a journalist, Dinna Maningo, a member of the Mara Regional Press Club (MRPC).
Police arrested Maningo at her Tarime home on Thursday June 13, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. and held her at a police post without being told the charges against her.
A statement issued by the LHRC yesterday said journalist was transported to Mwanza “and until now there are no reports on the charges disclosed against her.”
“The arrest of the journalist is against the country’s constitution and the laws of the land including democratic principles and freedom of information,” the statement added.
“Her arrest without undisclosed charges is against her constitutional rights as stipulated in Articles 15-17 of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania.”
The statement, signed by LHRC director, Dr Anna Henga, said in a democratic society, media freedom is one of the tenets “of our freedom in ensuring transparency and accountability of our institutions,” adding that the arrest of the journalist contravenes these basic principles.
“We call upon the authorities holding Dinna Maningo to set her free immediately or to prosecute her for a special crime as the law demands. The LHRC will stand shoulder to shoulder with Dinna Maningo and the journalism fraternity facing harassment and threats in their quest to search for truth,” the statement concluded.