Change Tanzania > HumanRight-Report > We conducted different campaigns depending on the problem in order to find a solution and make the situation clear to the community – CHANGE TANZANIA ADVOCACY REPORT- 2021

We conducted different campaigns depending on the problem in order to find a solution and make the situation clear to the community – CHANGE TANZANIA ADVOCACY REPORT- 2021

  • March 2, 2022
  • Posted by: Adminct
  • Category: HumanRight-Report
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There have been various problems in our country including arbitrary arrests, violations of the constitution and the existence of a constitution that gives great power to the leaders and does not match the current environment, the problem of the deadly Corona disease where the authorities and the government as a whole prohibit the generally refuse to provide information on the state of infection as well as the problem of the non-free and fair elections of October 25 which were riddled with evil, murder, human rights abuses and looting.

Due to these problems. The advocacy department conducted several different campaigns depending on the problem in order to find a solution and make the situation clear to the community. The following are the problems and campaigns on the relevant problem.

  1. ARBITRARY ARREST

Arbitrary detention is unlawful detention which occurs when an individual is arrested and detained by a government without due process and without the legal protections of a fair trial, or when an individual is detained without any legal basis for the deprivation of liberty. It is a tactic used by governments to suppress dissent. Freedom from arbitrary detention is a fundamental right enshrined in Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Tanzania went to the polls in a climate of heavy oppression of dissent. Before, during and after the elections, security forces have used excessive force to disperse peaceful assemblies. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights commits Tanzania as a state party to ensure that freedom of assembly as a right does not require prior authorisation from the state.

On the response to the problem, CHTZ decided to conduct  various campaigns with various hashtags on the rescues of various citizens who are politicians like Mdude Chadema, Journalists like Erick Kabendera,  human right defenders such as Tito Magoti, Theodore Gian and UAMSHO and various  civilians who likely seemed to go against the governments. Various campaigns with their hashtags conducted by CHTZ are as follows;-

  • #FreeTitoMagoti #FreeTheo:  This was a campaign aimed at demanding the government of Tanzania under DPP to free Tito Magoti and Theo Giyan or accomplish investigation following one year of failing to accomplish investigation. This campaign started early in December 2020.

Campaign purpose

To make citizens aware of what is exactly going on in their country and largely create awareness, influence and bring changes. 

How the campaign was conducted 

The campaign was conducted through online advocacy by the use of social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by informing the public of the incidents, and what the law says about the arrest of the perpetrators.

Citizens engagements

Various people supported the campaign by  sharing on social media and appear unhappy with the way these people were arrested and the whole scenario.

Government Reactions

 #FreeTitoMagoti #FreeTheo: After the government detained Tito Magoti and Theodore Giyan for more than a year without completing the investigation, their case was postponed 26 times before entering into the plea bargaining on 5th January 2021. Tito Magoti and Theodory Giyani agreed to pay TZS 17,000,000 for their release.

The outcome of the Campaign

On January 05, Tito Magoti and Theo Giyan released as the result of our campaign on which the government of Tanzania ordered them to pay 17 Tsh Millions. https://twitter.com/humanrightstz/status/1346432512789106689?s=20, In September 2020, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) issued a decision in the case of detained Tanzania human rights lawyer, Tito Magoti. The UNWGAD held that the fair trial violations in Mr. Magoti’s case was of such gravity to give his pre-trial detention an arbitrary character https://www.americanbar.org/groups/human_rights/reports/tanzania–u-n-working-group-on-arbitrary-detention-issues-decisi/.

  • #JusticeForUamsho: This campaign based on The Association for Islamic Mobilisation and Propagation aiming to demand the government of Tanzania to ensure justice among the Islamist group which was detained since 2012.

Campaign purpose

To make citizens aware of what is exactly going on in their country and influence citizens to take action in creating a change, by demanding justice for UAMSHO as well as to request the government to take them back to Zanzibar where the situation happened, but also request that the investigation gets to be answered quickly because they have been in prisons for a long time without bail and we also need them to be released.

How the campaign was conducted

The campaign was conducted through online advocacy through social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by informing the public of the incident, and what the law says about the arrest of the perpetrators.

Citizens engagements

Various people supported the campaign by  sharing on social media and appear unhappy with the way these people were arrested and the whole scenario.

Government Reactions

 #JusticeForUamsho:

 There is no government reaction on this concern for  UAMSHO 

  • #JusticeforZaraKay:  This is a campaign launched after activist Zara Kay, an Australian citizen, was arrested, detained by the Tanzanian government and then interrogated on various charges including possession of an unregistered telephone line in her name, criticizing President Magufuli over his government’s response to the Corona tragedy. The Tanzanian government confiscated his passport and barred him from Tanzania. The campaign aims to persuade the Tanzanian government to return her passport, drop off all charges and allow her to leave the country.

Campaign purpose

The purpose of the campaign is to demand justice for Zarakay and the government to drop her charges, return back her passport and all properties that belong to her that were confiscated during arrest and interrogation and allow her to leave the country free  to Australia (Her home).  

How the campaign was conducted

The campaign is conducted through online social media platforms(Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)  aiming at the government of Tanzania and other people to see the unjust done by the government and international Organization and embassies such as foreigners affairs including Australian  embassies to intervene on Zara’s matter.

Citizens engagements

Various people (Local and international supported the campaign by  sharing on social media under the hashtag #FreeZaraKay and #JusticeForZaraKay. 

Government Reactions

  • #WahangaWaSiasaTz: This campaign based on citizens, opposition followers and opposition leaders who had been affected by Tanzania October General Election 2020 including being killed, tortured, humiliated, jailed or being detained and charged with various cases. This campaign aimed at creating awareness among the citizens of what happened during the General Election in October and demanding the government of Tanzania to release the detainee.

Campaign purpose

To make citizens aware of what is exactly going on in their country and largely create awareness, influence and  bring changes and to ensure true democracy in practice and to respect the rights and freedoms of citizens.

How the campaign was conducted

The campaign was conducted through online advocacy through social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by informing the public of the incident, and by reporting photographs of major victims and incidents during elections, beatings, killings and injuries as well as describing all incidents involving the circumstances in which they were abused, including their names, and the manner in which they were treated.

Citizens engagements

Various people supported the campaign by  sharing on social media and appear unhappy with the way these people were arrested and the whole scenario.Some members of other political parties planned to hold a nationwide protest against the election violence and protest the results of the October 25, 2020 general elections.

Government Reactions

 #WahangaWaSiasaTz:The government announced publicly through the authorities which deals with security of the people and the country as a whole by saying that anyone who dares to protest will be badly injured by the police force and also arrested all those who expressed their dissatisfaction with the election and its results.

The outcome of the Campaign

#DemokrasiaYetu:  The aim of this campaign is to call on the international and regional community to intervene in the demolition of democracy in Tanzania by the authorities, including the crackdown on civil society, the arrest and detention of opposition leaders and supporters as well as the suppression of the media in Tanzania. This is a campaign that camef as the continuation to protect and revitalize democracy in Tanzania. This campaign was extended following questions asked by the European Parliament explaining the state of democracy in Tanzania and its relations with the European Union towards the promotion of democracy in the country.

Campaign purpose.

To call  the international and regional community to intervene in the demolition of democracy in Tanzania by the authorities, including the crackdown on civil society, the arrest and detention of opposition leaders and supporters as well as the suppression of the media in Tanzania. Further, the campaign aims at educating people about knowing the importance of having democratic states. 

The outcome of The Campaign.

3. GOOD GOVERNANCE

The Government of Tanzania has made a commitment, both to its people and to the international community, to improve democratic governance. Even though Tanzania still ranks above neighbouring countries in terms of transparency, accountability, and civil rights, rapid democratic declines in recent years pose an ongoing concern. Good governance in Tanzania is constrained by an increasingly powerful executive branch, closing civic space, violations of human rights,  lack of political competition, a still-emerging civil society, limited government capacity, low public accountability, and barriers to accessing information. Women and youth are particularly disadvantaged in these areas. Thus, various stakeholders like human right defenders, politicians, CSOs and other prominent individuals employed a variety of mechanisms to advance rights issues, including strategic litigation, productive engagement of government decision-makers, and participation in public consultation processes.

CHTZ as one of the online platforms has decided to make a contribution on highlighting Tanzania governance by using different speeches of prominent people through social media platforms with different hashtags sharing with people for the lightness and awareness as follows;- 

  • #HekimaZaBagonza: Words of wisdom from Religious Leader Arch Bishop Benson Bagonza on Human Rights, rule of law and Good Governance. The document originated from his official Facebook account
  • #JikingeWakingeWengine #CoronaInazuilika: This campaign aimed at providing Covid-19 preventative education to the citizens through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The campaign was conducted due to The president of Magufuli spreading misinformation & wild conspiracy theories that put Tanzanian lives at risk. It is the responsibility of the Tanzania government to take a precaution on whatsoever  may threaten the citizens instead of being part of the problem by giving citizens hopes by going against the science, For instance Maguful gave a statement saying “We have lived for over one year without the virus because our God is able & Satan will always fail.”

Also following the denial of press freedom media are not providing any kind of information on fear of the government reaction which may lead to the shut down of media, thus citizens fail to get enough information which may help them to understand the real situation within the country and stay blindly fools.

 Campaign purpose.

To make citizens aware of what is exactly going on in their country and largely create awareness and to  educate the public about the presence of Corona disease and how to take precautions. To inform them that the disease is still present and fatal so they should take all precautions to protect themselves from the spread of the disease and not to ignore it on the grounds that the government does not recognize the presence of such disease.

How was the campaign conducted

The campaign was conducted through online advocacy through social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by informing the public t, and what should be done to protect ourselves from covid-19.about the presence of Corona disease in the country and how people are dying from this disease by not taking precautions.

Citizens engagements

Various people supported the campaign by  sharing on social media, mobilizing the community to take precautions against the Corona epidemic, as well as religious leaders issued a document stating that they were aware of the presence of Corona in the country and thus encouraging citizens to take precautions against Corona infection without waiting for a government declaration. https://www.bbc.com/swahili/habari-55816070

Government reaction to the campaign

The Tanzanian government has shown a reaction on the campaign and  how to handle the covid19 pandemic in  two way, in negative ways and positive way: 

  1. NEGATIVE REACTION ON THE CAMPAIGN

Towards handling Covid 19 Tanzania government under President Magufuli on January 28, 2021, while addressing the mass when launching Forest in Chato expressed doubt on Coronavirus Vaccine. Mr President was quoted saying that “You should stand firm. Vaccinations are dangerous. If the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, he should have found a vaccination for Aids by now; he would have found a vaccination of tuberculosis by now; he would have found a vaccination for malaria by now; he would have found a vaccination for cancer by now,”. President Magufuli warns Tanzanians against Covid-19 vaccines: https://www.africanews.com/2021/01/27/president-magufuli-warns-tanzanians-against-covid-19-vaccines/   This statement hinders to a large extent  the campaign to fight against CoronaVirus worldwide and in Tanzania in particular.

On the other hand, Moshi Lord Mayor Mr Juma Rabiu Juma ordered the participant member who attended the council to take off the mask which claimed that wearing a mask threatened normal citizens that there is Covid 19 in Moshi municipality. Moshi Mayor orders those wearing face masks to take them of https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/moshi-mayor-orders-those-wearing-face-masks-to-take-them-off-3271990  

  1. POSITIVE REACTION TO THE COVID 19: On the positive side on Tanzania handling Coronavirus in Tanzania some government officials  have yelled to people particularly to government officials to take all measures to protect themselves from Coronavirus infection. Tanzania Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Philipo Mpango was quoted by the media telling public officials from the Ministry of Finance to take all precautionary measures to protect themselves from Coronavirus. 

Dk Mpango ataka watumishi fedha kujihadhari na corona https://www.mwananchi.co.tz/mw/habari/kitaifa/dk-mpango-ataka-watumishi-fedha-kujihadhari-na-corona-3269492 . On January 29 Tanzania government spokesman  Dr Abas Hassan has said that Tanzania government take all measures to combat and protect against coroana virus on which claimed that the government was used to prepare guidelines and Covid 19 protocol  to protect from coronavirus and those guideline is still useful and government of Tanzania did not take down those guideline. Mr Abbas added that the tendency of washing hands does not need people to be forced.

 Dkt Abbas:Tanzania inazingatia tahadhari dhidi ya corona: https://t.co/Vy1kYyXQC2?amp=1 

Citizens reactions 

     The outcome of The Campaign.

3. BREACH OF CONSTITUTION

Constitutionality is a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed. Thus, everyone actions are governed by the national constitution and responsible to adhere with the rules, principles and regulations, and being against that is going against constitutional fundamental principles hence in on 4 November 2014 there was a call for the demand of the new constitution https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5ef3c0ec-abdb-491e-b67e-3d501f9dd6f2 which will be based on the wishes of the people as to how they want to live (participatory constitution) and will address the problems relating to the Union.

Thus, due to the increasingly level of constitution violations CHTZ decided to establish a campaign of the previous constitutional change movement so as the citizens to understand the highly need of the new constitution based on people’s wishes and not government only through #KatibaMpya hashtag as follows;-

  • #KatibaMpya: This campaign aimed at Demanding The New Constitution, the argument based on the Speech from the Chairman of The Committee of Constitution Hon Joseph Warioba, Former President of United Republic of Tanzania Hon Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete) and other prominent leaders.

Campaign purpose.

Reminding the fifth phase government and the people about the new constitution based on the new constitution draft written  during the fourth term of the retired President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete and the whole process of a new constitution that has not yet met the goals of the new constitution should be continued so that we can get a new constitution in which the people have participated in its development by making their recommendations.

 How the campaign was conducted

The campaign was conducted through online advocacy through social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by posting how the whole process of demanding a new constitution began with some elements of the draft new constitution of 2015 which if  they will form  new constitution will bring  positive benefit for  the nation and the people at large and further it will build the foundations of a better democracy that respects human rights.

The outcome of the campaign.

4. INSPIRATIONAL

Inspirational is a speech or statements of a  person or thing that motivates mentally or emotionally.

Thus CHTZ collect various of quotes from different prominent people worldwide and share them through social media platforms with the #ChangeTanzania hashtag for monitivatinal, educating, and creating awareness.

QUOTATIONS: A campaign based on former Prominent Leaders and Ancient, Medieval and contemporary Philosophers using their words of wisdom basing on Human Rights, good governance, rule of law as well as accountability. (Julius Kambarage Nyerere as the case study).



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