Over 20 people have been arrested in Zanzibar after they were accused of engaging in “homosexual activities”.
Authorities in the region, which is semiautonomous of Tanzania, said that over twelve women and eight men were arrested following a police raid.
Hassan Ali, a regional police chief, said that officers raided a hotel in the area and arrested the group of suspects.
It is believed that they were attending a workshop.
Authorities have claimed that they suspected they were engaging in homosexual acts.
Ali confirmed this and said that police would “intensify vigilance against these groups”.
“We rounded them up because we suspect that they were engaged in homosexuality in Zanzibar, which is illegal in Zanzibar and is against the law of the country,” he said.
Related: Tanzanian President John Magufuli has claimed that “even cows” disapprove of homosexuality.
In Tanzania, if a man is found to be engaging in homosexuality then they could face a jail sentence of 30 years to life.
The country’s penal code states that anyone who “has carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” can face prison.
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