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Tanzania deports 3 anti-AIDS lawyers for 'promoting homosexuality'

Tanzania deports 3 anti-AIDS lawyers for 'promoting homosexuality'

Lazaro Mambosasa, police chief of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)
Lazaro Mambosasa, police chief of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)

Tanzanian yesterday deported three lawyers it accused of “promoting homosexuality,” although what they actually did was consult Tanzanian activists about a planned lawsuit to restore health services for the LGBT community there.

Agence France-Presse reported:

Sibongile Ndashe, executive director of ISLA. (Photo courtesy of Flickr)
Sibongile Ndashe, executive director of ISLA. (Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Tanzania has deported three South African lawyers arrested last week for “promoting homosexuality”, their organisation said in a statement.

The Initiative for Strategic Litigation (ISLA) in Africa said that the three had been “deported earlier this evening”, in the statement dated Friday.

The lawyers were amongst a group of 13 people, including a Ugandan and Tanzanians, who were arrested last Tuesday at the Peacock hotel in Dar es Salaam.

[Editor’s note: Among those arrested, and presumably now deported, was Sibongile Ndashe, executive director of ISLA, who was in Tanzania discussing a planned lawsuit against the Tanzanian government for obstructing the nation’s fight against HIV/AIDS by shutting down organizations providing health services to the LGBT community.]

Local police chief Lazaro Mambosasa said they had been “promoting homosexuality”.

“Tanzanian law forbids this act between people of the same sex, it is a violation of our country’s laws,” said Mambosasa.

Just days later an NGO, the Community Health Education Services and Advocacy (CHESA) centre, was suspended on the same charge and accused of organising a workshop at the Peacock hotel.

Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu claims that lubricants encourage homosexuality. (Photo courtesy of Alchetron.com)
Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu says she’s concerned that anti-AIDS programs for gay men promote homosexuality. (Photo courtesy of Alchetron.com)

CHESA and ISLA insisted they were merely coordinating a “legal consultation” to challenge a government decision to limit the provision of some health services.

See Also

In February, Tanzania provoked criticism notably from the United States after announcing the closure of several health centres specialising in AIDS prevention, alleging they were fronts for promoting homosexuality.

Tanzania has vowed to deport foreigners campaigning for gay rights in a country where gay male sex is punishable by anything from 30 years to life imprisonment.

In July 2016, the government banned the import of some lubricant gels alleging they were used exclusively by homosexuals.

Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the sale and occasional free distribution of the gels encouraged gay sex.

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View Comment (1)
  • BRING legal action against the Tanzanian government in International Court..
    Additionally,sue the government and restore the 3 lawyers to Tanzania with compensation.
    Freeze all Tanzanian government monies in any country in which it has deposits.

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