The European Union this week recalled its ambassador from Tanzania over “the deterioration of human rights and rule of law”. This came shortly after Dar es Salaam regional commissioner called for the outing and arrest of homosexuals.
The EU further said it would be conducting a “wide review” of its relations with Tanzania amid fears of increased persecution of gay people.
Paul Makonda, the administrative chief of the capital last week announced a special committee would be set up to identify and punish homosexuals, prostitutes and online fraudsters. He called on the public to report suspected gay people to authorities.
The US also warned its citizens in Tanzania to be cautious after
the announcement of the
crackdown on homosexuality, a criminal offence in the country. President John Magufuli has cracked down on homosexuality since winning power in 2015. A conviction for having “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” could lead to a sentence of up to 30 years in jail. But following international backlash, the country the announcement was not an official policy, but Makonda’s personal views, distancing itself from a citywide crackdown slammed by rights groups.
It is, however, important to look Tanzania’s conduct beyond this crackdown. In May, Civil Society Organisations from across the world wrote an open letter to President Magufuli to express their concern over the worrying decline in respect for human rights, including the rights to freedom of association, expression and peaceful assembly, in Tanzania. “We urge your government to take proactive measures to protect these rights which are crucial to civic space and publicly recognise the essential role that a vibrant civil society and an independent media play in creating peaceful and equal societies,” they wrote.
Unwarranted closure of media outlets, judicial persecution and harassment of journalists, the targeted assassination of opposition party members, blanket restrictions on peaceful protests and the introduction and invocation of a raft of laws to undermine freedom of speech online are some of the Front Line Defenders highlighted.
It’s only this week that CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative Muthoki Mumo, a Kenyan, and Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator were arrested and briefly held by Tanzanian authorities, allegedly for violating their visa conditions. Last year, Tanzania’s opposition Chief Whip in Parliament Tundu Lissu was shot by unknown assailants in an attempted assassination and hospitalised at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi.
This is a very worrying trend in Tanzania that needs to be checked. EU did well to recall their envoy.
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