President of the opposition Patriots for Economic Progress Sean Tembo has challenged President Edgar Lungu to apologise to former US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote for the victimisation and humiliation he suffered for condemning the imprisonment of a gay couple.
Mr Tembo said the pardoning of the gay couple by the President has vindicated Mr Foote who said the 15 years imprisonment of the couple was hilarious.
Speaking on Hot FM, Mr Tembo said President Lungu has no option but to apologise to the recalled Ambassador for the I’ll treatment by both his party the Patriotic Front and Government Officials.
Mr Tembo said the pardoning of the gay couple has also vindicated various stakeholders in Zambia who condemned the imprisonment as severe.
He added that the pardoning of the gay couple by the President also contradicts his government’s stance on homosexuality.
President Lungu has pardoned two men who were jailed last year for having sex with each other.
Their 15-year sentence triggered a diplomatic row, which ended in the recalling of the US ambassador Daniel Foote.
The two men, Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba, were listed among the names of nearly 3,000 prisoners to be pardoned to mark Africa Freedom Day, which fell on Monday.
Zambia is a deeply conservative society where homosexual acts are illegal.
In December 2019, the US recalled Mr Foote who a month earlier said he was “horrified” that a judge had sentenced the men to 15 years in prison after they were caught having sex in 2017.
The government accused him of trying to dictate policy, and President Edgar Lungu declared him persona non grata.
The tragedy of our opposition. The president didn’t declare Foote persona non grata, GRZ complained about his comments criticising our Judiciary and the US govt. recalled him. Where did you see a president apologising to a diplomat??? These opposition i.d.!oits have no clue how governance works, do they??? GET THOSE HOOLIGANS TO CLOBBER HIM AGAIN PLEASE!!
Well said.
Thank you.
PF in the making NO MONEY ka? This move will bring you money.
The PF are doing every possible to get western donor funding.Things are really bad.
1)Pardoning a victimized allegedly “gay” couple (yet they provide condoms to prisons)
2)Widely publicizing Dora Siliyas positive covid-19 test(Other Zambian patients less important)
3)Publicizing Chitalu Chilufyas fake corruption case (ACC is very silent on other big government corruption cases)
etc
EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW THE PF OPERATE CLOSE TO ELECTION TIME
HOWEVER,2021 WILL BE DIFFERENT.
Apologies…..? For what? The judicial system worked as it was supposed to….and was the right time and place for the President to Inject himself in the process. Is Sean Tembo really suggesting that if a section of society or foreign diplomats disagree with a certain court decision then the President should summarily intervene and invalidate the verdict? And what part of the Zambian Constitution would allow him to do such a thing?
In Zambia, there is a way and process to ammend Laws we feel are draconian, or have outlived their usefulness. And that can only be done by our Legislators. Presidential VETOES of court verdicts aren’t provided for in our Constitution…..so Ambassador Foote is owed no apologies whatsoever!
The act by lungu shows in plain sight that PF do support homosexuality for exchange of donor funding and this comes after heavily accusing the opposition UPND for supporting gay. God exposes the folly of people in due time.
The question is: Has he even pardoned suspects in remand?
All along I have been thinking Sean Tembo was intelligent, I was wrong!
I thought ba Sean would bring a well thoughtout argument but in vain. Please Mr. Tembo go to the same to those two unnatural persons and school them that Zambia does not condon their unnatural tendencies or better still assist them to follow the diplomat.
Opposition in Zambia thrive on lies and social media. Sean Tembo doesn’t even have a Ward Councillor to his party because he can’t convince real people to vote for him except media commentators and diasporan donkeys. Even upnd doesn’t take time to sit seriously formulate alternative policies and laws to present to the Legislature. How can we allow such incompetent and greedy politicians to hold power????
President Lungu does not have to apologize to Foote. For what? By pardoning the two gay men does not mean he condones what they did or what Ambassador Foote said. It is his prerogative of mercy. Infact he’s even merciful. He should have pardoned them next year. Sodomy is a very disgusting act. You won’t find animals doing that but humans with 5 senses sure!!…………
While I do not agree with homosexuality, the imprisoning of the GAY couple was just wrong and that law needs to be repealed. We have corrupt ministers stealing money from the poor and causing misery and death and yet they maintain their cabinet positions. We have KAIZER ZULU still walking free despite the many assaults and firing of a deadly weapon yet two consenting adults who have hurt no one are sent to jail for 15 years.
Just because one part of our governance is centensious does not mean we discard what we have believed to be good for our country. Rather than reduce the penalty for practicing homosexuality, our country will do well to strengthen institutional capacity against corrupt practices and perhaps work at increasing the penalty against the same.
Usless opposition with nothing to offer… help relieve poverty and create Jobs in a small way. Not talking about things that we dont want to talk about as a people.
Edgar Lungu to apologize, as arrogant as I know him. It is very shameful to jail someone and after sometime you pardon him. The Judiciary has been ransacked by these PF mafias.
Edgar Lungu has nothing to offer to the people of Zambia.
PF must go!
Sean Tembo must apologize for asking the president to apologize for pardoning 2 men who should apologize for their act of wickedness.
Written without apology.
Sean Tembo, for once start using your head.
No matter what tembo is saying, lungu miscalculated and the sentencing was a diplomatic own goal by lungu and his du.ll advisors like KZ ……..
Watch president uhuru kenyatta interview with Christian amampour on YouTube about homosexuality in Kenya and you will see an intelligent president with an eye on international situation while insisting homosexuality is illigal in Kenya…..
Not this chawama drunk thug and his PF rats on LT applauding a 15 year sentence only to be found begging the west for aid from western homosexual ministers ……
On this issue an not interested in anyone’s comment except the xtians for ………., to agree or diasagree with this presidential pardon, let them not shush on this issue let them talk about it with the vigour and strength showed against the ambassador, and that ministry were art thou to offer your guidance on this matter.
Am sure ECL has realised that the imprisonment by the court was a wrong move. Return Foote for national interest.
Sean Tembo amano tamwakwata Edgar from the start said I there is something that can be done but lmposing rules on the Judiciary. You wanted him to be impeached for interfering.
You want Edgar to apologize for showing mercy.
As a nation and a people, do we really think? Apologize after pardoning perverts? Think again…the president has released several wrong doers before. Does their pardon mean they did not break the law…what about all those set free for various crimes. Losers…
Ba Sean Tembo so desperate to be relevant that he uses such lame arguments for the publicity. Tafyakabombe
TO THE CONTRARY, IT IS FOOTE WHO MUST APOLIGISE TO ECL WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES FOR HAVING INSULTED THE INTELLIGENCE OF ZAMBIANS. HE MISCALCULATED HIS WELCOME AND THOUGHT HE COULD SAY ANYTHING IN ZAMBIA. YES WE ARE POOR, BUT WE ARE NOT SEXUAL PERVERTS. EACH SEXUAL ORGAN IN THE MALE GENDER HAS A COMPLEMENTARY ORGAN IN THE FEMALE COUNTERPART. THATS HOW GOD OR NATURE DESIGNED THINGS.
Yaba ba Tembo. The president pardoned convicted persons. He does that every year African Freedom Day. This year he pardoned close to 3000 prisoners. If we follow Tembo’s reasoning all the pardoned people were not found guilty! President must apologise?? The prerogative presidential mercy only applies when one has been convicted. Some bloggers argue the release of the two means PF supports homosexuality. What about the other criminals who were released?
Opposition in Zambia needs refreshing. There’s a time to shut up, this is one of those times Sean Tembo should have done just that. At a time when Africans world over are workin together, an inferiority complex Sean opens his mouth. How can you be a leader and not know separation of the judiciary from the executive and legislature. Civics basics.
In Zambia sentencing of an offender is based on laws legislated by our parliament. The sentence which any judge pronounces is as prescribed in the statutes. The 15 years sentence was as prescribed in our laws. If there are any UPND members who feel the sentence was harsh ( which it was) the right person to approach is your member of parliament to have legislation changed. A PRESIDENT CANNOT PARDON A PERSON BEFORE THE SAID PERSON IS CONVICTED.
Money can make you do anything even backtrack on your morals.
Good job Sean Tembo….remember that old adage …? “He who laughs last, laughs the longest.” While I do not support homosexuality and stuff, I am of the opinion that the sentence of 15 years was rather harsh on the gay couple. Ambassador Foote is well vindicated together with every one of us who thought the same. To those that think PF is heaven on earth think again. PF to go in 2021. We do not need such thugs and people who are so cruel to ever rule Zambia again instead they may do well to spend their remaining lives doing TIME in JAIL. Zambians please stay awake and be courageous to vote PF out in 2021.
*he who laughs last laughs the loudest.*
Sean is a sick puppy.
Sean Tembo whatever they call him ,he say for pardoning homosexual, the president should apologies, is that sensible really , let us look at other offenders ,who were released together with the homosexual offenders, do we really believe they were pardon because they were not guilty no! i think our opposition brother is such confused that he is not able to distinguish right from wrong the prison authority which keeps offenders recommend who should be pardoned not the president it is after looking at the behavior of the prisoner is he remorseful if yes they give a recommendation to the president. it does not mean they did not committee the crime which made them be imprisoned they did it is out of mercy to a repentant sin. please Mr tembo let us learn to use the brain when we are talking.