Police have arrested a woman in Tanzania after a video clip showing her kissing and embracing another woman at a party went viral.
The Tanzanian woman, who police said lives in the northwestern town of Geita, was arrested after a video circulated on social media showing her kissing and hugging another woman, before presenting her with a ring.
Homosexuality is a criminal offence in the East African nation, where a conviction for having “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” can carry a life sentence.
Geita police chief Mponjoli Mwabulambo told Reuters on Saturday the woman was under police custody over the video clip, and that more details would be issued after the investigation was concluded.
Police sources said authorities were also searching for the woman who was given the ring in the video clip. Reuters could not confirm where or when the video was filmed.
The woman is thought to be the first lesbian suspect arrested in a recent crackdown against homosexuality in the country .
Tanzanian president John Magufuli’s government has stepped up the crackdown since coming into power in 2015. He threatened in June to arrest and expel activists, as well as deregister all non-governmental organisations that campaign for gay rights.
In October, authorities in the main city Dar es Salaam raided a meeting at a hotel, claiming the gathering was promoting same-sex relationships, and arrested at least 12 men.
The country’s health ministry banned non-governmental organisations last year from distributing free lubricants to gay men as part of HIV/AIDS control measures, despite warnings from health experts that shutting such programmes down could put the wider population at higher risk of infections.
An estimated 1.4 million Tanzanians are living with HIV, out of a population of more than 50 million.
