Tanzanian Journalist Kabendera Arrested

Tanzanian investigative journalist Erick Kabendera has been arrested. Reports suggest he is being held in police custody, with The Citizen reporting that he was apprehended by six unidentified men claiming to be police officers who attempted to search his home on Monday evening. 

Kabendera writes for a number of media outlets, both local and international. Mainly focused on development issues, he was among those to speak out on the media clampdown in Tanzania. 

Following his arrest the Committee to Protect Journalists has called for his release, with the group’s sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo stating, “The manner in which this journalist was taken, by men claiming to be police, is very ominous and further evidence that the press is not safe in President John Magufuli's Tanzania.”

"Authorities must immediately disclose if they are holding Erick Kabendera, and for what reason, and ensure the journalist is returned safely to his family," Mumo added.