The Aids and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (Arasa), a regional partnership of non-governmental organisations in Africa has sent a protest note to the Tanzania government over the arrest, detention and deportation to South Africa of nine HIV and Aids activists from around the continent.

The activists, Paula Akugizibwe and Lynette Mabote from the Aids and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa; Bactrin Killingo, James Kayo and Netsayi Dzinoreva from the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition; Linda Mafu and Soraya Matthews from the World Aids Campaign; Sydney Hushie from the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/Aids and Michael O’Connor from the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria, had just handed over a memorandum to Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a popular South African musician and UN Goodwill Ambassador and Christoph Benn, the director of external relations for the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria, outside the premises where the World Economic Forum for Africa was going on.

The handing over is said to have lasted no more than 15 minutes and caused no disruption to the forum activities, but as the group was preparing to return to their hotel in a hired bus, they were arrested and taken to a police station for questioning where they were detained for five hours.

To protest the Tanzanian action, Arasa is also seeking legal action to block Tanzanian government officials from attending a meeting of Heads of State at the African Union meeting in Kampala in July.

Paula Akugizibwe, HIV/TB Treatment Literacy Co-ordinator at Arasa told The EastAfrican from Cape Town that the group is seeking an explanation from the Tanzania authorities while seeking a course of action against the officials involved.

According to Ms Akugizibwe, Arasa will go to Kampala in July to air its grievances against the Tanzania government’s decision to deport the activists.

Gillian Parenzee, the communications co-ordinator for Arasa told The EastAfrican from Johannesburg that the group had chosen the WEF as a focal point for advocacy because of the inextricable links between health and socio-economic development.

Michaela Clayton, the director of Arasa told The EastAfrican from Cape Town that Tanzanian authorities had shown complete disregard for the right to freedom of expression.

Ms Clayton said that unless donors and national governments make more resources available there will be no universal access to healthcare.

Ms Parenzee said that following the handing over of the memorandum to Ms Chaka Chaka and Mr Benn, “They (nine representatives) were held for five hours, although ultimately no charges were issued or arrests made,” she said.
The group was then escorted under heavy police security back to their hotel, where they were instructed to pick their luggage and proceed to the airport to wait through the night, under police guard, for their flights the following day.

Although no formal “Prohibited Immigrant” notices were issued, members of the group were effectively treated as such and one member, who had planned to extend his stay in the country by a few days, was compelled to accompany the group to the airport and wait on standby for the next available flight.

The memorandum entitled “Health is Wealth,” emphasises the need for increased investment in health and particularly HIV, TB and Malaria in Africa.

The activists were representing 40 non-governmental organisations from more than 10 African countries, who were gathered in Dar es Salaam to discuss global and regional advocacy strategies to address the urgent need for resource mobilisation for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care and for replenishment of the Global Fund in October 2010.