Tanzanians warned to delete porn on phones or face arrest
Tanzanian government now its citizens to delete any porn on their mobile phones or face arrest.
This comes days after the establishment of a 17-member committee to investigate and deal with with homosexuals and owners of brothels.
The committee was announced on Wednesday by the Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Paul Makonda.
DELETE PORN
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Makonda called on all Tanzanians to delete any pornographic material on their phones within the week.
“People should make sure they have deleted pornographic pictures from their phones because I wouldn’t like to see a public figure arrested due to photos in in his or her phone,” said Makonda.
He explained that the campaign arises from the realisation that sex business risks hindering development in the country.
He called on Tanzanians to report homosexuals so that they can be arrested next week.
The committee, whose members include police officers, psychologists, members of the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority and the Tanzania Film Board, is set to start its work on November 5.
The committee will scour the internet to identify videos featuring supposedly gay content.
Tanzania’s government, led by President John Magufuli has previously warned drastic action against homosexuals in the country.
Homosexuality is a crime in Tanzania, punishable by a minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life imprisonment.
Makonda urged Tanzanians to support the campaign against homosexuality, which he said ‘tramples on the moral values of Tanzanians and our two religions, Christianity and Islam’.
He said authorities had already been handed 18,000 messages of support for the policy from people “disturbed by moral erosion”, many of which also named individuals believed to be homosexual.