Comedian Sultan case: 'Laughing is not a crime'

COURT

Popular Tanzanian comedian Idris Sultan is due to be arraigned in court a second time on Thursday (July 9) to answer charges of 'failure to register a SIM card previously owned by another person' and 'failure to report change of ownership of a SIM card'.

The charges were brought after he posted a video on social media of himself laughing at an old photo of President John Magufuli wearing an oversized suit.

Deprose Muchena is the Amnesty International's director for East and Southern Africa. He said the comedian is being persecuted for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

"These charges are politically motivated and must be immediately dropped," he said.

"It is a travesty that Idris Sultan is being subjected to judicial persecution simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression. Laughing is not a crime. 

"Criminalizing one's humour is a new low in Tanzania's unrelenting clampdown on freedom of expression," said Muchena.

"It is evident that the Tanzanian authorities do not have a case against Idris Sultan and are simply out to harass him because his humour offended them. The court must throw out the trumped-up charges against him."

Background

Idris Sultan was first presented before the Resident Magistrate for Kisutu in the capital Dar es Salaam on June 9, but the hearing did not take off because the prosecution failed to prepare for the preliminary hearing.

Idris Sultan was arrested on May 19 after footage of him laughing at a throwback photo of President Magufuli went viral on social media. He was released on bail on May 27.

The comedian was charged with SIM card-related offences under the repressive Electronic and Postal Communications Act 2010 (SIM card Registration) Regulations 2020 and amended Electronic and Postal Communications Act 2010 on May 27.

He was released on a court bond of 15 million Tanzanian shillings (about sh24m).