Concern as 2 reporters arrested in Arumeru
What you need to know:
- Ms Doreen Aloyce who reports for the Arusha-based Sunrise Radio and Mr Bahati Chume, a stringer with Mwananchi newspaper in Kilimanjaro Region, found themselves in the hands of the police when they visited a village to follow up a story.
Arusha. Arumeru District continued to be a bitter ground for journalists yesterday when two reporters were arrested by the police, this time for alleged failure to introduce themselves to local authorities.
Ms Doreen Aloyce who reports for the Arusha-based Sunrise Radio and Mr Bahati Chume, a stringer with Mwananchi newspaper in Kilimanjaro Region, found themselves in the hands of the police when they visited a village to follow up a story.
Unconfirmed reports say they were heading to a quarry operated by a private company but which was dug in the neighbourhood of a settlement to listen to the grievances of the local people on the presence of rock blasting activities there.
“It appears some local people were suspicious of them and reported the matter to the police who rushed to the village to arrest them,” the Regional Police Commander Charles Mkumbo told The Citizen late yesterday when contacted over the matter.
Information reaching The Citizen had it that the two reporters were arrested around 2:30pm and taken to the Usa River Police Station to record a statement and held briefly allegedly on orders from above.
However, the two reporters were released on the orders of the RPC who communicated with officers at the police station.
“I ordered them released immediately and without any conditions,” Mr Mkumbo said, adding that they may have not introduced themselves well or produced their identities to the local leaders at the area they visited.
