Africa News of Saturday, 1 February 2020
Source: bbc.com
A top Tanzanian official who launched a surveillance squad dedicated to hunting down gay people has been banned by the US from entering the country.
The US state department said Paul Makonda, the administrative chief of the capital Dar es Salaam, was involved in "gross violations of human rights".
His immediate family members have also been barred from visiting the US.
A crackdown on freedom of expression has been on the rise since President John Magufuli came into office in 2015.
Human rights groups also accuse Mr Magufuli of repressing political dissent, detaining human rights activists, and muzzling the media.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted on Friday that Mr Makonda's ban came amidst concern about the "deteriorating" state of human rights in Tanzania.
Today we designated Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Paul Christian Makonda as ineligible to enter the U.S. for his involvement in gross violations of #humanrights. We are deeply concerned over deteriorating respect for human rights and rule of law in #Tanzania.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020