Human rights activists say the arrest of 12 people in Tanzania underscores the vulnerable position of human rights defenders on the continent.
Two South Africans - one of whom is acclaimed human rights lawyer Sibongile Ndashe, who is the director of the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa (Isla) - are among the dozen people arrested.
Tanzanian officials told reporters last week that the 12 were arrested for “promoting homosexuality”.
They have been detained without charge since Friday,South Africa’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Thami Mseleku, said.
Isla and Community Health Services and Advocacy (Chesa) said a legal consultation convened by the organisations for a court case against the Tanzanian government had been raided by the Tanzanian police on October17 .
The case was a challenge to the Tanzanian government’s decision to limit the provision of certain health services that it had previously provided.
The group were granted bail, but it was subsequently revoked on Friday with no reasons provided, the organisations said.
“They were advised that a fresh investigation process is starting and everyone is taken to custody.
“This mischaracterisation of a legal consultation where lawyers and their clients were discussing a very specific case to be referred to the court is unfortunate,” said the organisations.
Isla senior lawyer Matilda Lesseko told the Cape Times that they had appointed local counsel to represent them in Dar es Salaam.
She said the cellphones of their two colleagues had been taken by the police.
However Ndashe’s phone has since been given to her lawyer.
“We remain in direct contact with their families,” Lesseko said.
“We have worked with various organisations to raise awareness of the abuse of power under way in Tanzania, where they continue to detain them without any charges being brought against them.
“Because they have not committed an office, there will probably be no charges brought against them.
“This is but a method of persecuting, harassing and intimidating those who consider challenging state decisions through the courts,” she said.
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) yesterday condemned the arrests, saying the reason given, that they had been arrested for promoting homosexuality, “was not only feeble, but disingenuous”, given that the Tanzanian police were in possession of a concept note and agenda for the legal consultation meeting.
Jacob van Garderen, LHR’s national director, said: “Unfortunately, these events underscore the
vulnerable position of human rights defenders
on the continent.
“The use of police and other security forces to intimidate, discourage, and impede those who seek to enforce their human rights creates an environment in which ordinary people become fearful to know and use the law.”