VZCZCXYZ0005
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #1287/01 2641451
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211451Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6797
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 3250
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 2587
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 3072
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI PRIORITY 1020
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0789
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0456
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 001287 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT AF/E FOR B OJIKUTU, AF/RSA FOR MHARPOLE 
ALSO FOR G, DRL/SEA AND NSC/DEMOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV TZ
SUBJECT: TANZANIA:  PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT 
2007 UNGA 
 
REF: A. STATE 125456 
 
     ¶B. DAR ES SALAAM 01267 
     ¶C. STATE 108924 
     ¶D. STATE 088465 
 
Summary 
-------- 
¶1. (U) Integrated into the Democracy and Good Governance goal 
of post's Mission Strategic Plan is the advancement of human 
rights, through efforts to establish a more accountable, 
representative and effective government based on rule of law, 
transparency and democratic pluralism.  To advance this 
strategy, Post has worked to facilitate the Government of 
Tanzania's efforts to reduce corruption, promote 
parliamentary independence, increase the capacity of civil 
society and increase awareness of protection of human rights, 
and the prevention of child labor and trafficking in persons. 
 
Mission Programs Promoting Human Rights 
---------------------------------- 
¶2. (U) In implementing USG-funded programs in country, the 
Mission partners with NGOs, community-based organizations and 
the Tanzanian government.  These ongoing programs include: 
 
--  a multi-year project administered through NGOs to 
strengthen the Parliament's representative, lawmaking and 
oversight functions; 
 
--  a women's leadership workshop within the Parliament to 
increase the capacity of female government leaders; 
 
--  civic education programs for 1,000 citizens of Zanzibar 
and to hundreds of Masai women in northern Tanzania. 
 
--  increasing the effectiveness of the Prevention and 
Combating of Corruption Bureau through leadership training 
with the New York City Department of Investigation; 
 
--  implementing public expenditure tracking systems in 
eleven districts of Tanzania, enabling citizens to hold 
government accountable for public services. 
 
--  partnering with International Labor Organization (ILO) 
projects to withdraw children from exploitative labor 
situations. 
 
--  partnering with Government of Tanzania (GOT) officials 
and NGOs to raise awareness about trafficking in persons and 
encourage the prosecution of traffickers. 
 
--  Post's annual Democracy and Human Rights Fund program 
distributes small grants to local NGOs or community 
organizations.  Examples include: musical programs and plays 
in villages aimed to prevent the recruitment of minors into 
child labor or trafficking situations, programs developing 
conflict resolution strategies with women from diverse 
political parties and radio programs to promote human rights. 
 
Public Diplomacy 
---------------- 
¶3. (U) Ongoing public diplomacy initiatives to advance human 
rights include: 
 
--  support to the Government of Tanzania's anti-corruption 
efforts through workshops for government officials and 
journalists on the importance of "whistle blower" protection. 
 
--  enhancing the investigative skills of journalists through 
training workshops, round table discussions and the 
International Visitor Leadership Program. 
 
--  maintaining a frank dialogue with the local media 
associations on how press freedoms and responsibilities could 
be enhanced. 
 
--  publicizing the  guiding principles on NGOs announced on 
Human Rights Day 2006 through press releases and interviews. 
 
GOT Human Democracy and Human Rights Priorities 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶4. (U) Tanzania's overall human rights record remains poor, 
 
with abuses occurring in past years by prison guards and the 
police, and with corruption in the judicial system not 
allowing human rights cases to be fully prosecuted.  Also, 
freedom of the press has recently been limited through the 
passage of an Anti Corruption law in February 2007 that 
included a clause not allowing journalists to publish the 
names of persons who are under investigation or who might be 
investigated by the Prevention and Combating of Corruption 
Bureau (PCCB). 
 
¶5. (U) The GOT encourages civic education among all 
voters--men, women and disabled persons.  While the general 
elections on the Mainland in December 2005 were deemed fair 
by international observers, the October 2005 elections on the 
isles of Zanzibar to elect a president and members of the 
House of Representatives were marred by serious 
irregularities and violence. 
 
¶6. (U) In 2003, the Government of Tanzania established a 
Human Rights Commission by statute and appointed a 
commissioner in 2004.  Post supported the fledgling 
commission with a grant to purchase law books for the 
Commission's Human Rights library.  The quasi-independent 
Commission is empowered to investigate alleged human rights 
abuses on the Mainland.  In 2006, the law was amended by 
Parliament to extend the authority of the Human Rights 
Commission to the semi-autonomous isles of Zanzibar, thus 
opening a new chapter in the monitoring of human rights 
throughout the country. 
 
¶7. (SBU) We are increasingly concerned by lack of will to 
fight corruption and recent steps to undercut voices in the 
press and the Parliament speaking out on corruption.  The 
Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, purportedly 
the government's most important instrument in the fight 
against corruption, sent a letter recently to the media 
threatening to apply a provision in the new Anti-Corruption 
Act that punishes (with fines and imprisonment) anyone who 
knows someone is being investigated.  In a country with 
pervasive corruption, almost any level of any ministry can 
reasonably be suspected of being under investigation for 
corruption.  The result has been a distinct chilling effect 
on investigative reporting and corruption stories in the 
press. 
 
¶8. (SBU) At the same time, opposition members in Parliament 
have suffered draconian and arguably unconstitutional 
punishment for speaking out against corruption, with one MP 
banished for over four months from Parliament for calling for 
corruption investigations (Ref B).  Government efforts to 
clamp down on the two principal means in this society for 
putting the spotlight on corruption--the press and 
Parliament--must become an increasingly prominent piece in 
our dialogue. 
GREEN