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May 13, 2019: Today, CHRI and 37 Tanzanian, African and international human rights organisations have published a letter calling on states to use the next session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to raise concern over Tanzania’s situation in order to prevent a further deterioration.

The space for human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society, journalists, bloggers, the media, LGBTI persons, and opposition and dissenting voices has continued to shrink. The situation in Tanzania, which ranks 118th in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index this year, calls for a response at the United Nations. This can be in the form of individual (national) or joint statements by state delegations.

In the letter, the NGOs say, “While we do not believe that at this point, the situation calls for a [HRC] resolution, warning signs of a mounting human rights crisis exist.” We echo the statements delivered in recent months by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and call for preventative engagement with the Tanzanian government. 

Read the full letter here.

Sincerely,
AfricanDefenders (the Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)
African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX)
Amnesty International
ARTICLE 19
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
Association for Human Rights in Ethiopia (AHRE) – Ethiopia
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Center for Civil Liberties – Ukraine
Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale – REDHAC)
The Centre for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) – South Sudan
CIVICUS
Civil Rights Defenders
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)
Committee to Protect Journalists
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
DefendDefenders (the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
Geneva for Human Rights / Genève pour les Droits de l’Homme
Human Rights Defenders Network – Sierra Leone
Human Rights Watch
International Commission of Jurists
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)
International Service for Human Rights
The International Youth for Africa (IYA) – South Sudan
JASS (Just Associates)
Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC)
Ligue burundaise des droits de l’homme ITEKA – Burundi
MARUAH – Singapore
The Network of South Sudan Civil Society Organizations in Uganda (NoSSCOU)
The Nile Centre for Human Rights (NCHR – South Sudan)
Odhikar – Bangladesh
The ONE Campaign
Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN)
Reporters Without Borders
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC)
West Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (ROADDH/WAHRDN)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)