Tanzanian man convicted of violating country’s sodomy law, sentenced to 30 years in prison
A Tanzanian man last month sentenced to 30 years in prison after a court convicted him of violating the country’s sodomy law.
According to LGBT VOICE Tanzania, an LGBTQ and intersex rights organization, the Kilwa District Court sentenced Muharami Hassan Nayonga to 30 years in prison after it convicted him of violating Sections 154 and 157 of the country’s Penal Code that criminalize so-called unnatural offenses and “indecent practices between males.” LGBT VOICE Tanzania said Nayonga was a security guard who lived in Masoko Ward.
He was arrested on April 13 “after he used his phone to persuade a young man known as Zalafi Selemani to be intimate with him.” “After the arrest, Muharami was examined by health professionals who found that he had engaged and engages in unnatural sex,” said LGBT VOICE Tanzania. “He was then brought to court and confessed his crimes where he was sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Resident Magistrate of the Court, Carolina Mtui, under case number 27 of 2023.” LGBT VOICE Tanzania accused the country’s government of violating Nayonga’s human rights. “Using Sections 154 and 157 of the Penal Code to persecute LGBTQIA people is a violation of human rights and a violation of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania,” said LGBT VOICE Tanzania.
There have been consistent reports of discrimination and violence against LGBTQ and intersex Tanzanians in recent years. These include murder, assault, harassment and denial of basic rights and services.
