Tanzanian investigative journalist freed after six months

Tanzanian investigative journalist Erick Kabendera has been released after spending six months behind bars.

Kabendera’s release comes after he entered into a plea bargain agreement with the prosecution.

It saw him being convicted of tax evasion and money laundering, while charges related to orgainsed crime were dropped.

On the tax evasion charge, he agreed to pay $75,000 (£58,000) within six months. On the money laundering charge, he has already paid a fine of $43,000.

He also had to pay $108 for his immediate release.

Amnesty International had previously described his arrest as "an assault on press freedom", but the government insists it is committed to press freedom.

The journalist, who has a reputation for holding the authorities to account in his articles, has written for several British publications, including The Independent, The Guardian and The Times, as well as for newspapers in Tanzania and the wider region.