URGENT ACTION: Tanzanian government must drop all the charges against Zara Kay immediately and unconditionally
#JusticeForZara #ReleaseZara #FreeZaraKay
The International Coalition of Ex-Muslims unequivocally condemns the arrest of Zara Kay, an Australian citizen and founder of Faithless Hijabi, a member of our Coalition.
Zara was summoned to the Dar es-Salaam Oysterbay Police Station on 28 December 2020 and was held in police custody for 32 hours without a clear indication of charges.
#ZaraKay’s arrest is politically motivated and the charges are now:
1) Social media post deemed to be critical of the president of Tanzania, John Magufuli (these light satirical posts were posted in May when Zara was in London, addressing the handling of Covid-19 in Tanzania)
2) Not returning her Tanzanian passport after gaining Australian citizenship (she never returned her Tanzanian passport as she misplaced and never used it after gaining Australian citizenship)
3) Using a sim-card not registered in her name (this was registered in a family member’s name)
We call on the Tanzanian government to unconditionally and immediately drop all the charges against Zara Kay and allow her to leave the country. Restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and conscience are in violation of the country’s international human rights obligations.
We also call on the public to take action by contacting Tanzanian embassies in countries of residence and by contacting the Tanzanian government urgently calling for all charges to be dropped.
President John P. Magufuli
P.O. Box 11400
Dar es Salaam
Tanzania
Email: ikulu@ikulu.go.tz
Twitter: @MagufuliJP
