The Dodoma police chief has been transferred to another case for linking a Tanzanian gang-rape victim to sex work

The police commander in Tanzania’s capital, Dodoma, has been removed from his post following controversial comments in which he linked a gang-rape victim to a sex worker.

At the beginning of this month, a video showing a young woman being beaten by five men in the East African country went viral, which caused an uproar in the community.

On Sunday, the police commander in the capital, Dodoma, was quoted in a Tanzanian newspaper as he says “the woman in question seems to be busy with sex work”.

Following the backlash of allegations that the comments belittled the woman’s plight, the Tanzanian police force apologized and said the commander had been transferred.

“The police force apologizes to everyone who has been affected and offended by the statement that has spread in the media while it is being checked whether it is true,” said national police spokesperson David Misime on Monday.

Mr Msime added that in his words to the local newspaper Mwananchi, Dodoma District Commander Theopista Mallya said that even if the woman was a prostitute, she did not deserve to be treated that way.

These comments did not appear in the Mwananchi report – the BBC has contacted this newspaper for comment.

In response to Mwananchi’s report, lawyer Peter Madeleka said on social media X that what Mrs Mallya said “is proof that the police abuse women’s rights”.

Fatma Karume, a prominent lawyer and activist, also expressed anger at X, writing: “Those who sell themselves will not be raped in this country?

In this video showing the woman being raped, it is reported that the suspects interrogated her and forced her to apologize to the so-called “afande”.

In Tanzania, the word “afande” is often used to refer to a soldier or a policeman, so many activists and social media users have expressed outrage that sexual harassment may have been carried out at the behest of a member of the security forces.

“The investigation revealed that the youth were not acting according to the orders of any police officers, they were under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” Ms. Mallya told Mwananchi.

“However, the woman in question seemed to be involved in sex,” he said.

Following public controversy over Ms Mallya’s comments, the Tanzanian police said she had been transferred to police headquarters, although it was not clear whether this was temporary or permanent.

Those accused of gang rape will appear in court on Monday.

It is not clear when the video was recorded but it is reported that the victim is a resident of Yombo Dovya, which is the largest city in the country, Dar es Salaam.