Human rights activists in Tanzania have declared they would go to court to file a petition challenging the newly-passed Statistics and Cybercrime bills in case they are signed into law.

The country co-ordinator for the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDS), Mr Onesmo Ole Ngurumwa told The Citizen that human rights groups were working together on the possibility of going to court in the event of President Jakaya Kikwete signs the Bills to law.

“We have not sent any notice directly to the government because we consider issuing a press statement the fastest way of airing our concern,” he said.

He said they were awaiting government response while pondering their next move, which would entail going to court should their appeals go unheeded.

“The statement we issued is enough to let the powers-that-be know what the public feels… we have not heard any feedback from the government up now, but we are still waiting while hoping the President won’t sign the bills as they would undermine many good things that he often says he stands,” said Mr Ngurumwa.

READ: Tanzania passes new draconian data law

In a joint statement that a coalition of NGOs issued last week, the activists call for a united rebuff of the Bills by other human rights stakeholders, noting that if they became laws, they would stifle the people’s constitutional rights. They also urged President Kikwete not to endorse them as doing so would stifle citizen journalism and whistleblowing as well as adding draconian laws to the already existing ones.

The statement was signed by THRDS, Sikika, Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) Jamii Forum and the Tanzania Network of Legal Aid Providers (TANLAP).

They argue that the Statistics Bill gives excessive powers to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and by signing into law such a document, then the country would effectively disqualify any research information given by other institutions and academic centres, something they said is not expected in a democratic country like Tanzania.

Mr Ngurumwa told journalists last week that the Statistics Bill, for example, calls for any data to be approved by NBS and that it has indicated a heavy punishment to media houses, NGOs and academic institutions unless they first present their findings to NBS for verification.

He argued that the proposed law would erase and discourage any research work done by private and public institutions.