Tanzania s judiciary has displayed signs of autonomy after decades of subservience to the one-party CCM regime, but remains subject to considerable political influence. Constitutional protections for the right to free assembly are generally, but not always, respected. Laws allow rallies only by officially registered political parties, which may not be formed on religious, ethnic, or regional bases and cannot oppose the union of Zanzibar and the mainland. Freedom of religion is respected. Arrest and pretrial detention laws are often ignored.
Prison conditions are harsh, and police abuses are said to be common.
Many nongovernmental organizations are active, but some human rights groups have experienced difficulties in receiving required official registration. The broad distribution of Tanzania s population among many ethnic groups has largely diffused potential ethnic rivalries that have wracked neighboring countries. Media freedom has expanded markedly since 1992, but instances of repression continue, especially in Zanzibar, where the government controls all electronic media. In August, the mainland Kiswahili newspaper Mtanzania was banned on the island. Some private radio and television stations operate on the mainland, but state broadcasting remains predominant.