Roland Ebole is the regional researcher for Tanzania and Uganda at Amnesty International. Amnesty International is a global movement that campaigns to end abuses of human rights across the world.
Based in Kenya, Ebole’s work has helped to provide support to the minority groups living within East Africa.
On LGBT issues in Tanzania:
“Tanzania has been mostly peaceful and hadn’t really targeted sexual minorities or LGBT communities until after 2016 when President John Magufuli came into power.”
President Magufuli brought in laws in 2016 banning HIV and AIDs outreach projects and prohibited US-funded initiatives that provided the LGBT community with HIV testing, condoms and medical care. In 2018, the President threatened to arrest and deport anyone campaigning against the abuses of gay rights.
“This has really caused a lot of discrimination and violence. In 2018, we had documented cases of gay people that had been arrested and cases of violence against the gay community. Some of them had even crossed the border in a bid to run away from the violence.”
“The LGBT community has been living in a lot of fear. Another issue is because of the violence and discrimination, it happens in public service delivery where by LGBT people have been discriminated against when they go to receive treatment at the hospital or other health facilities.
“The population of the LGBT community have are living with HIV and Aids are very much affected as they have not been able to accept the drugs because of the discrimination that has happened in the vicinity.
“Also, banning lubricants where you have LGBT people has affected the community a lot. There are reports of persons who have been busted at the airport, their lubricants confiscated and cases where companies that have been known to promote lubricants have been warned. A TV station was suspended from airing because they were showing advertisements of lubricants.
“In 2018, we had a drop in health centres. They were ordered to close because they were working with the LGBT community.”
On LGBT issues in Uganda:
“In 2013, there were proposals by the government to pass a law that was known as the Anti-Homosexuality act. In the development proposal, the bill went through the orders to pass as a law despite the outcries from the African communities, international organisations, local opposition and advocacy.
“The court eventually ruled that the law had to be repealed, though the government hasn’t forgotten this bill and has wanted to reintroduce it. Last year, a minister in charge mentioned that the law should be re-introduced to make homosexual acts punishable by death. Of course, he did not say this in an official capacity where it was documented in official records but it was during a public official speaking.
“After a lot of campaigning, the government came clean and said that the statement made by the minister was within a private capacity and not as a government position. The effect that this had within the same month saw violent acts on the LGBT community.
“We have documented two individuals who were killed around the same part in different parts of Uganda. The effect of the statement made by the minister brought fear to the LGBT community and we have cases of arrests made by state forces where the LGBT community have been targeted.
“At the beginning of the lockdown in Uganda, 20 gay people were arrested and put in jail for what police claimed to have broken lockdown directives that were put in place by the President mid-March. This was not the case as these people were living in the same shelter. They have been in prison for four weeks now before going to court on Monday 27th April.
“This is just some of the issues that happen to the LGBT community in Uganda. Arrests, violence and discrimination are among a manner of things. The good thing about Uganda is that there are very strong human rights organisations that stand in solidarity with the LGBT community.”
About the work of Amnesty:
“At Amnesty, we monitor the situation around the LGBT community in these countries. Currently, the monitoring has changed a little bit to now look at violations in line with the implementation of Covid-19 and the measures put in place. We document cases of violations.
“As Amnesty is a global movement, we work with Amnesty sections which are national offices around the world and campaign on the cases. If it is an arrest, we do call on to release those who have been imprisoned. That is more reactive but we also have proactive work where we organise research on a specific aspect of LGBT rights.”
“If you openly have contacts in Uganda, Tanzania or any country within Africa, then let us know because people assume Amnesty is aware of most cases. Sometimes, we need people to tell us what is going on and how cases are progressing.