HRF condemns crackdown on LGBTQI people and rights groups being carried out by Tanzania’s authoritarian regime. Recently, a woman was arbitrarily arrested in the northwestern town of Geita after a video clip showing her kissing and embracing another woman at a party was widely shared on social media. As in many other African nations, homosexuality is illegal in the country, with penalties that can amount to life imprisonment, and the government regularly suppresses any public activities that promote tolerant views towards LGBTQI people. According to HRF, these legal provisions are in violation of Tanzania’s obligations under Article 17 (right to privacy) and Article 26 (protection against discrimination) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Tanzania ratified in 1976. Article 17 protects against arbitrary or unlawful state interference with privacy, and Article 26 guarantees equal and effective protection against discrimination to all persons on any ground.
