The French Ambassador to Tanzania, Jacques de Labriolle, who is also the current representative of the European Union Chair, has expressed concern over the recent government ban on the MwanaHALISI weekly tabloid.
Speaking exclusively to The Guardian, de Labriolle said: ``There is some surprise, because it is the third time there is a problem with this paper, since the beginning of this year, while no other paper in Tanzania has so many troubles.
There was a vicious attack against two journalists in January, which the Tanzanian leadership rightly condemned immediately, then there was a judicial seizure of computers, which was legal but unusual, now there is this government-decided three month ban.``
The envoy said that these were some of a series of events for the same paper, ``especially when you think that MwanaHALISI is precisely one of the papers which has made revelations on corruption cases during the Third Phase.``
The representative of the EU chair also said that the ban on MwanaHALISI had certainly caused some surprise and some worry among the European Heads of Mission in Tanzania, ``as well, for that matter, as in the rest of the donor community.``
De Labriolle said that the ban on MwanaHALISI was a strong measure, and the diplomatic community feared strong reactions here and there, especially among Tanzania`s best friends.
The envoy said that there was also some worry, because most of the diplomats knew that everything that dealt with press bans usually raised a lot of concern in the world and in media circles.
This newspaper has been reliably informed that some foreign envoys had already visited the MwanaHALISI offices to get their side of the story which led to the government ban.
The EU diplomats are yet to meet with the relevant government minister, who is said to be out of the country at the moment, so as to be acquainted with the government version of the controversy.
During the recent informal meeting between Western ambassadors based in Tanzania with Foreign and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe, the banning of the weekly tabloid was raised, and Minister Membe responded by saying that he was just back from a foreign tour and was yet to be fully briefed on what really transpired.
However, the minister stated that the current administration had the best record for freedom of the press since Tanzania attained its independence.
De Labriolle told The Guardian: ``We know that Tanzania, on the whole, is not a country where freedom of the press is daily threatened; we know, as Minister Membe stated the other day, that no Tanzanian government in Tanzanian history, has ever taken greater care of the issue of
preservation of freedom of opinion and press freedom.
However, we know that MwanaHALISI has published useful information on corruption and mismanagement cases under the Third Phase government.``
The French envoy added that if the MwanaHALISI story was wrong, there were other measures to be taken than such a long ban, which would probably weaken the paper`s financial position. ``However, I cannot comment on the issue of substance.``
He said that they hoped to get the story from both sides, and then they would assess whether they thought further clarification was needed.
He concluded by saying: ``I wish to restate two principles: first, the attachment of all the European missions to freedom of press and information, and secondly, our attachment to the observance, by all journalists, of all rules which apply to a proper exercise of their
information mission.``