From Melanie Nathan’s blog*:

A wave of arrests of gays in Tanzania is feared after a senior official urged the public to report suspected gays to authorities. Homosexual acts are illegal in Tanzania and can bring a sentence of up 30 years. The examinations are taking place on Friday to see if there are any signs of same-sex relations among the men, who were arrested last week on suspicion of celebrating a gay marriage at a resort hotel, police chief of the south region of Zanzibar, Suleiman Hassan, told The Associated Press.

“We acted on a tip-off from a good citizen leading them to abort their party during the weekend and then police made a quick arrest,” said Hassan. After being held for several days, the men have been released pending the investigations, he said.

Last week Paul Makonda, the administrative chief of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, urged citizens to report any suspected homosexuals. He said a task force would be established to seek out and punish homosexuals and prostitutes.   READ MORE at VOX

*P.S. “This blog, O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da, started out as a platform to showcase the equality and human rights advocacy work of Melanie. In addition to reporting related news and stories, O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da serves as a platform for Nathan and her guests to highlight their work in a world where gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, intersex, and gender-free people are the subjects of persecution and discrimination.

“Over time it has developed into a renowned blog, on subjects including U.S. politics, equality related issues, the impact of homophobia and transphobia – especially state sanctioned homophobia, the decriminalization of homosexuality, LGBTQI asylum, sexuality violence and all human rights issues, around the globe, with a special focus on Africa.”