In IPP Media of 5 March 2013 appears a lengthy piece by correspondent GERALD KITABU who interviewed the head of the NGO ‘Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition’ (THRD-Coalition) Mr ONESMO OLENGURUMWA on the protection of human rights defenders in Tanzania. It interesting to see such an article which demonstrates the depth of the Human Rights Defenders issue at the local level. Here follow a few quotes:
QUESTION: Who is a human right defender?
ANSWER: A human rights defender is any individual, groups and organs of society seeking to promote and protect universally recognized human rights and freedom. Human rights defenders include lawyers, judges, journalists, whistle blowers, bloggers, students, religious leaders, trade unionists and any other person working to combat human rights abuses in a peaceful manner.
Q: What is the current situation of human rights defenders in Tanzania?
A: Our organization has recorded a number of security incidents towards human rights defenders. Despite being change agents, these activists are continuously harassed, detained, interrogated, imprisoned, tortured and even at times paying the ultimate price when they are killed for what they do. A good example is the last year’s killing of Iringa based Channel Ten journalist Daudi Mwangosi, the barbaric and brutal torture of Dr. Stephen Ulimboka, the death of Issa Gumba, the suspicious death of women human right defender in Mara Eustace Nyarugenda who was the director of Action Based Foundation, continuing constant threats towards other journalists like Cosmas Makongo, Josephat Isango, Charless Misango, the indefinite ban of Mwanahalisi and the arbitrary arrest of human rights defenders. These are just few incidents that paints a bad picture on the map of Tanzania when it comes to observing human rights….
Q: What motivated you to establish human rights defenders Coalition?
A: My passion for human rights dates all the way back from the University of Dar Es Salaam where I served as a President of the Human Rights Association. The association was vibrant and vocal and its duties were to organize conferences, seminars and workshops on issues of genocide; Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the campaign against the death penalty; … Many people do confuse the work of defending human rights defenders and other normal human rights activities. In fact majority of them (human rights defenders) do not know that they are ‘human rights defenders’ who need some level of sensitivity and special protection in performing their day-to-day activities as defenders and promoters of others rights…
So this coalition [THRD-Coalition] is a non-governmental, non-partisan and human rights organization, registered under the Non-Governmental Act of 2002. It is comprised of 70 individual and organizational memberships, who are basically human rights defenders in Tanzania (HRDs). Its membership and representation in terms of operation is spread (through designated zone offices or coordination) all over the United Republic of Tanzania.
Q: Sometimes human rights defenders in Tanzania tend to ignore risk and threats facing them when fighting for human rights, why do you think so?
A: There are a number of reasons for this, first, they normally focus on the victims rather than themselves, some think that taking risks is just ‘part of the job’ – they just have to accept it, majority do not know whether their work is risky, their organizations do not care about Security, they lack security management knowledge, nowhere to get protection and some human rights defenders feel that to stop their work is not an option, no matter what the risk ……
Q: What is your call?
A: Our country is not heaven to make us feel free from perpetrators of impunity. This should therefore adjust and fine-tune our minds in the pretext of peace and tranquility. We are obliged to learn that attacks and threats towards human rights defenders including journalists have complex ranges that require our solidarity and high level of security consciousness to set them free. This is because if the perpetrators of human rights violation won’t send thugs to attack you, they will certainly close your organization, arrest you maliciously or even create draconian legislations such as the Tanzania Newspaper Act of 1976 only to see the work of human rights protection and promotion bungled up. Under this increasing tension, there is a need to have supporting forces and key stakeholders such as regional and international organizations and development partners whose main objectives are to increase transparency and openness on the side of state actors and on the other hand improve both security and financial capacity of non state actors. These stakeholders may have political clout or the capacity to put pressure on duty-bearer stakeholders (governments) who do not fulfill their responsibilities
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
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