Dodoma: A group of human rights lawyers and activists who were researching a case against the Tanzanian government has been detained after police accused them of “promoting homosexuality”.
Among those arrested were three lawyers from the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (Isla), a human rights legal organisation, and nine members of Community Health and Education Services and Advocacy (Chesa), a Tanzanian sex workers’ rights organisation.
Matilda Lasseko, an Isla lawyer, said members of the organisation were in Tanzania to discuss a possible case against the government, which over the past year has been shutting down private HIV centres around the country as part of a crackdown on homosexuality. “The Chesa team approached us about the situation, and my colleagues, including our executive director Sibongile Ndashe, went to Tanzania to meet them and establish factual information to see if there were grounds for bringing a case,” said Lasseko.
The meeting was due to take place on 16-17 October in Dar es Salaam. “The police came and the group showed them the agenda and the notes and they left again. But they returned, and took everyone to the police station.” The Isla lawyers – two from South Africa, one from Uganda – were initially given bail after surrendering their passports, which they were asked to come in and retrieve the following day. The Chesa representatives, who are all Tanzanians, were detained without charge. The following day, police issued a statement saying 13 people had been arrested for committing the offence of promoting homosexuality.
“People are being arrested almost every day,” said LGBT campaigner James Wandera Ouma. “I’ve been arrested 17 times. It’s straightforward harassment and intimidation.” In October 2016, the Tanzanian government announced a ban on HIV/Aids outreach projects aimed at gay men, and closed US-funded programmes that provide testing, condoms and medical care to the gay community. The countrywide closure of private HIV clinics began soon afterwards.
