{"id":124101,"date":"2025-11-04T06:08:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/11\/04\/tanzania-police-warns-of-treason-charges-for-inciters-and-mockers-in-mass-texts\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T06:08:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T06:08:18","slug":"tanzania-police-warns-of-treason-charges-for-inciters-and-mockers-in-mass-texts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/tanzania-police-warns-of-treason-charges-for-inciters-and-mockers-in-mass-texts\/","title":{"rendered":"Tanzania Police warns of treason charges for inciters and mockers in mass texts"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 4 \u2014 The Tanzania Police Force has issued a stern warning that individuals found circulating inciting, mocking, or destabilizing messages through social media, mass text messages, or digital platforms could face treason charges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In text messages sent to citizens on Monday, police cautioned the public against sharing content that could \u201ccause alarm, provoke unrest, or demean the dignity of others,\u201d describing such actions as serious criminal offenses under Tanzanian law.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not circulate images or videos that cause alarm or demean a person\u2019s dignity. Doing so [is] a criminal offense and, if found culpable, severe legal action will [be] taken,\u201d the message read in part.<\/p>\n

The warning came amid heightened political tension following violent protests triggered by the disputed October 29 General Election.<\/p>\n

Hours before the mass text messages, President Samia Suluhu Hassan had vowed to defend Tanzania\u2019s peace and sovereignty \u201cthrough all means and at all cost,\u201d warning against any attempts to destabilize the country.<\/p>\n

Speaking during her swearing-in ceremony at the Tanzania People\u2019s Defence Force (TPDF) parade grounds in Dodoma, President Suluhu said her government had evidence linking the unrest to foreign actors allegedly seeking to undermine national stability.<\/p>\n

Suluhu vows to defend Tanzania\u2019s sovereignty amid unrest, rejects foreign interference<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened does not align with the character of a Tanzanian,\u201d she said. \u201cIt did not surprise us to see that some of those arrested for causing disturbances came from outside the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur defense and security organs are continuing to investigate these incidents to return Tanzania to the peace we are accustomed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restricted inauguration <\/h2>\n

The ceremony, closed to the public, was held under tight security and broadcast only on state television underscoring the government\u2019s growing concern over internal security and foreign interference.<\/p>\n

International observers and opposition parties have denounced the elections as flawed, citing voter intimidation, media censorship, and mass arrests of opposition supporters. <\/p>\n

However, President Suluhu dismissed the allegations, insisting the polls were free, fair, and transparent.<\/p>\n

Suluhu rejects election reform calls, dismisses Observer criticism as \u2018foreign interference\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

In her address, she called for unity and peace over confrontation, warning that those spreading misinformation or inciting violence online would face the full force of the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cChaos within the country has no value, no price, and no profit for anyone,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who incited violence must know that dialogue produces unity, not division.\u201d<\/p>\n

She directed National Security Committee and regional authorities to restore normalcy in affected areas and bring perpetrators to justice.<\/p>\n

While the government insists its crackdown is necessary to preserve national peace, human rights groups have raised alarm over growing restrictions on freedom of expression and political dissent in the country.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 4 \u2014 The Tanzania Police Force has issued a stern warning that individuals found circulating inciting, mocking, or destabilizing messages through social media, mass text messages, or digital platforms could face treason charges. In text messages sent to citizens on Monday, police cautioned the public against sharing content that could \u201ccause alarm, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124101\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}