Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DARESSALAAM108
2005-01-20 04:16:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Cable title:  

SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

Tags:  PHUM ELAB KDEM KSEP PREF PGOV PREL TZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000108 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ELAB KDEM KSEP PREF PGOV PREL TZ
SUBJECT: SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

REF: A) SECSTATE 267453

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAR ES SALAAM 000108

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ELAB KDEM KSEP PREF PGOV PREL TZ
SUBJECT: SUPPORTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

REF: A) SECSTATE 267453


1. Per reftel A, the Tanzania submission for the Supporting
Human Rights and Democracy Report is below.


2. The United Republic of Tanzania is a multiparty state,
although it is dominated by the long-ruling CCM party.
Benjamin Mkapa is the President; his term will end in
October, 2005. Zanzibar, although integrated into the
country's governmental and party structure, has its own
President and legislature and exercises considerable
autonomy. While there have been improvements with respect
to human rights in recent years, the Government's overall
record remains poor. In the lead-up to the 2005 elections,
respect for political freedoms declined. Members of the
police and security forces mistreated suspected criminals.
The judiciary is inefficient, understaffed and subject to
corruption, limiting the right to fair and expeditious
trials. Prison conditions remained harsh and life-
threatening. Trafficking in persons and child labor
remained problems.

The U.S. strategy aims to improve respect for human rights
and to foster an environment for free and fair presidential
and parliamentary elections in 2005. Following the 2001
post-election violence, the United States has focused on
decreasing tensions on Zanzibar between the long-ruling CCM
party and the main opposition political party, the Civic
United Front. In 2004, embassy officials met frequently
with representatives from both parties. Embassy officials
also met regularly with Zanzibar's Joint Presidential
Supervisory Committee and the Zanzibar Electoral Commission
to voice continued U.S. support for the bipartisan "Muafaka"
reconciliation accord.

In 2004, the Embassy and USAID supported the creation of a
Zanzibar permanent voter registry called for in the
reconciliation agreement, an important prerequisite for free
and fair elections in 2005. Economic Support Funds [ESF]
supported purchase of equipment for permanent voter registry
on Zanzibar. ESF funds were also used to fund a local NGO,
the Tanzania Elections Monitoring Committee (TEMCO),which
is observing the registration process on Zanzibar.


Following violent confrontations at a few voter registration
cites on Zanzibar, which left a teenage student dead and
several others injured, the Charge' d' Affaires met with the
President of Zanzibar to urge the Zanzibar government to
ensure voter registration could continue, according to
established procedures and in an environment of peace and
security.

The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID)
democracy assistance program focuses on long-term efforts to
build civil society and parliament for a more robust,
accountable democracy. USAID allocated $2 million toward a
multi-year project to strengthen the national parliament's
representative, lawmaking, and oversight functions. In the
budget presentations this year, parliamentary members more
effectively exercised their oversight function, by
questioning and amending several requested appropriations.
USAID also works to strengthen civil society organizations
involved in advocacy for policy changes. After the passage
of a controversial 2002 NGO Act, civil society successfully
lobbied to have the government amend the law, a process that
still continues.

Judicial backlogs and limited police investigations skills
hinder the right to fair and expeditious trial, a factor
that aggravates severe prison overcrowding. The US State
Department provided approximately $300,000 in multi-year
funding for a forensic laboratory to improve police
investigation skills, speed up investigations, and reduce
the number of wrongful arrests and convictions.

The US Embassy Public Affairs Section works to support a
free press. In 2004, the Embassy donated computers to press
clubs in Tanzania to help them research articles. Public
Affairs also hosted a workshop on investigative reporting
for local journalists. Public Affairs also targets
journalists for International Visitors programs targeting
Human Rights issues. A returning IV grantee published
several favorable articles about religious tolerance in US.

The Public Affairs Sections also pursues more targeted
outreach for government policymakers. Under the
international visitor programs, an outspoken female
politician accompanied local ruling party officials on a
conflict resolution study tour. The Embassy honors Martin
Luther King by naming a "Drum Major for Justice" laureate
each year. The prestigious award receives widespread
publicity and attracts senior level government attendance.
In 2005, Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan-African
Parliament, received the award for her pioneering work
supporting woman rights.

To ensure that all Tanzanians are able to exercise their
right to vote in the 2005 elections, this year's Democracy
and Human Rights Funds [DHRF] targeted potentially
disenfranchised voters, the disabled and the youth. The
Embassy awarded a grant to the Tanzania League of the Blind
to conduct a civic and voter education seminar for blind and
visually impaired Tanzanians. Tanzania League of the Blind
wants to improve the participation of blind persons in the
coming 2005 elections by enabling more blind persons to
register to vote, contest for seats in local government
councils, municipality, and the parliament, to attend
campaign rallies, and to ask candidates political questions
or present critical issues for discussion during campaign
meetings. The second DHRF grantee, Global Network of
Religions for Children [GNRC] will conduct workshops on
civic-peace education for religious and youth leaders to
ensure the youth and children understand the electoral
process and their role as citizens/voters. GNRC will also
work with religious leaders, focusing on the electoral
process, and on the role of religious leaders in promoting
free fair and peaceful elections and in enhancing good
governance.

The US government has consistently engaged the Tanzanian
Government on the issue of refugee protection for the
approximately 400,000 Great Lakes refugees in Tanzania.
Demarches were made during the year to urge the government
to continue their tradition of hosting refugees. In
addition, the State Department supported programs to
decrease the amount of rape and domestic violence in the
refugee camps.

The U.S. Labor Department continues to support a large multi-
year program through the International Labor Organization to
reduce the worst forms of child labor in Tanzania. The Time
bound program reduces the amount of children engaged in the
worst forms of child labor through advocacy and targeted
supported for vulnerable children.

The US government has been active in raising awareness about
trafficking in persons. This year the Embassy hosted a
digital video conference that attracted senior policy
makers, civil society, and the press. The resulting news
coverage helped inspire the government to move faster to
target traffickers. Embassy officials also meet with civil
society, and government officials, and traveled to rural
source areas to better understand and document the nature of
human trafficking in Tanzania. The Presidential Anti-
Trafficking Initiative identified Tanzania as a focus
country and will provide two million dollars of anti-
trafficking assistance. The Charge d' Affaires met with
President Mkapa to gain government support for working with
the US on these anti-trafficking programs.

-------------- --------------
Required Addendum on USG human rights and democracy programs
of 100,000 or more
-------------- --------------

Economic Support Funds, technical support for creation of
permanent voter's registry on Zanzibar and local NGO
registration monitoring. ($500,000 FY 2003, ESF funds)

Strengthen Parliament ($495,000 ,FY 2005, USAID Program)

Strengthen Civil Society ($495,000, FY 2005, USAID Program)

Promote and Support Anti-Corruption Reforms ($400,000, FY
2005, USAID Program)

US Department of Labor, Time bound Anti-Child Labor program.
Multi-year initiative, amount spent calendar or fiscal year
2004 unavailable.

State PRM for trafficking victim assistance program (500,000
State PRM , FY 2004)

Health Care for trafficking victims ($500,000, US Health
Human Services, FY 2004)

US Department of Justice creation of Tanzanian anti-
trafficking inter-governmental task force ($1,000,000,
Department of Justice, FY 2005)

OWEN