7th EAC Media Summit opens, calls for protection of journalists in Burundi

EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera has called for protection of the Media, their property and freedom of expression in the region putting emphasis on the current turmoil in Burundi.
Mr Sezibera made the remarks on Thursday at the opening session of the 7th EAC-East African Business Council Media Summit in at Hyatt Kirimanjalo Hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
"I understand a number of media practitioners have been attacked and their property destroyed....I urge for all those in Burundi to protect the 4th estate (media)," Mr Sezibera said.
He further called upon the authorities in Tanzania to urgently work towards lifting the ban on the sale of the East African Newspaper.
A few months ago the government of Tanzania slapped a ban on the sale of the East African Newspaper which had been operating since 1994 in the region but claimed they didn't go through the right channels to circulate in the region's second biggest economy.
In response, government denied banning the Newspaper.

“We have never closed the newspaper but we only asked them to respect the rules of democracy and legalise their operations in Tanzania. I am glad they accepted and applied to register the newspaper legally,” Mr Assah Mwambene Tanzania's Government Spokesperson said.
Mr Sezibera challenged the over 200 media practitioners to be neutral when reporting on the integration issues but not to do it with fear or favor as long as they follow the right journalistic ethics.