Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a group that defends the digital rights of Africans, has supported a lawsuit challenging restrictions to X in the High Court of Tanzania, arguing that citizens are entitled to the social media platform.

In a statement issued on Monday, PIN argued that the blanket restriction enforced since May 20, 2025 without any constitutional basis threatened citizens’ right to freedom of expression and their access to information. 

“This case raises a fundamental question about the limits of state power in regulating digital platforms,” said ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative.

“Where restrictions are imposed, they must meet the constitutional thresholds of legality, necessity, and proportionality.”

Mr Sesan further contended that “Blanket disruptions of access to widely used platforms threaten not only freedom of expression but also the broader ecosystem of civic participation and access to information.” 

Tanzanian lawyers Tito Elia Magoti and Kumbusho Dawson Kagine in 2025 sued the Minister for Communications and Information Technology, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the Attorney General, demanding that the ban be lifted.

The determination of the suit is scheduled for Thursday, May 21.

The lawyers sought the intervention of the judiciary in determining that the government indeed restricted citizens’ “right to freedom of expression, access to information, and freedom of assembly.”

They also contended that the ban was imposed without prior consultation with the public and legal justification. 

According to the petition, citizens should not be forced into paying for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as the alternative means of accessing X.

Defendants have so far argued that X ban was not a “global concern” asserting the restriction aligned with the law to “ensure public safety, public health, and morals.”