Merxcine Cush
The East African Court of Justice (EACJ) overturned a ministerial order that banned Tanzania’s Mseto newspaper from publishing for 3 years.
The order came in August 2016, after the media house published an article about the corruption that was involved during the Tanzanian presidential election.
The article consequently led to an uproar in the country as people debated about corruption and unlawful practices by the President and a member of his cabinet.
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In their case, Mseto cited the order as unlawful under international law, an oppression to their press freedom, and a restriction to their freedom of expression. They also argued that the minister had failed to provide any reasons for the order.
The media house had previously published other articles documenting corruption in the Tanzanian government, but were met with threats from the government before ultimately being banned.
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The East African Court of Justice which has jurisdiction to determine disputes arising between any member of the Community and organizations sided with the media house citing that the State had acted in a manner contrary to the principles of accountability and transparency.
The court also found that the order contravened the rule of law and was in violation of the right to freedom of expression.
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