The Human Rights Commission says it has noted with regret the tendency by some stakeholders to deliberately confuse criminal acts with Human Rights issues when dealing with matters relating to the situation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) community in Zambia.
Human Rights Commission Mudford Mwandenga said there is need for stakeholders and the public to make a distinction between supporting the human rights of the LGBTQI community and gender identity, which is a criminal offence in Zambia.
He said this in a press statement made available , today Mr. Mwandenga says the Commission has received correspondence from various stakeholders expressing fear about the safety of the LGBTQI community in Zambia
“Regrettably, the Commission has noted the tendency by some stakeholders to deliberately confuse purely criminal acts with human rights issues when dealing with matters relating to the situation of LGBTQI in Zambia,” he said.
“A distinction must be made between supporting the human rights of the LGBTQI community, which rights accrue to them by virtue of them being human and supporting them to freely and publicly exercise their sexual orientation and gender identity, which is a criminal offence in Zambia,” he said.
He said the reported cases of sodomy in the country are a criminal offence which should be thoroughly investigated and dealt with by the Zambia Police Service in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Mr. Mwandenga said law enforcement against sodomy should not be confused with clamping down on the LGBTQI community in Zambia.
He added that individuals that are suspected of having committed acts of sodomy should be treated like any other suspect and accorded equal protection of the law and not be subjected to unlawful actions and/or violation of their Human Rights.
Mr. Mwandenga further highlighted that the Commission has noted with concern the continued hate speech and threats of physical attacks against persons based on their perceived or real sexual orientation and gender identity is a criminal offence.
He said the Commission is alive to the fact that practicing homosexuality or lesbianism is illegal in Zambia and emphasized that those found on the wrong side of the law or in conflict with the law should be treated in a humane manner.
Mr. Mwandenga said by virtue of being party to various human rights instruments, Zambia is bound to protect the indivisible and inalienable rights of all citizens including those found on the wrong side of the law or who come in conflict with the law.
He said the Commission is calling on the State to put in place measures to stop the emerging hate campaign against the LGBTQI community in Zambia, stating that it is the obligation of the State to adopt effective measures of protection against actions of individuals.
Very confusing statement.
This has nothing to do with human rights. This has everything to do with committing unnatural acts which are not allowed in the law of the land.
If you want to see how bad these things affect a nation, just look at where the USA is heading with moral decay and degeneracy.
There is no such thing as LGBT community. That is nonsense. We might as well have an adultery community, or a stealing community.
Clearly “human rights watch” is being heavily influenced by Western money.
We have a culture in africa. And in our culture, this stuff is abominable.
I encourage my fellow readers to watch the documentary “what is a woman” by Matt Walsh and it will open your eyes on this evil agenda. You can find snipets on YouTube if you can’t buy it.
This is…
The reporting is horrible! For four paragraphs from the first sentence the same point is reported on over and over. Even after that there’s no clarification of what is meant by criminal offense and clamping down on the LGBTQI community. Waste of the readers time
We in upnd love the gays
You tribalists are trying to change the subject from how you looted the country, to homosexuality.
Why are people wasting so much time on this topic?
If someone is LGBTQI, surely it is their own business as long as they do not involve minors.
Many of you make a big fuss about Zambia being a Christian country but please remember not everyone is Christian and there are people who have no time for Christianity.
I am not gay but someone being gay does not bother me, I believe in the policy of live and let live.
full name should be Ben Lombe Yeah?
I agree with Ben, live and let live. Anyway the case against homosexuality in the Bible is not as clear-cut as some people assume.
Don’t be outing people in public or on social media. What if he is targeted by sodomites sent by Mwamba??? What are going to do if they tear him another one???
HRC, stop confusing people. How can you say the so called gay people have rights and yet the penal code says homosexuality is a criminal offense?
So in short, they have rights to commit the criminal offense?
On critical human rights abuses in the country, you are very quiet, but suddenly very alive when it comes to homosexuals and Lesbians.
Speaks volumes about your organization.
Why beat about the bush. just come out frank and say dont harrass the homosexuals. why are you scared of saying what u want to say and just go around missiusing English. for someone to say hes gay is not criminal, its their right. what is criminal is them being found engaged in the act. that’s wat u should say bwana mkubwa.
This matter is complicated! I’m not gay but I have a controversial take on this. Being Gay maybe disgusting to a lot of people and is just as wrong as things like masturbation in the eyes of god. If one should be arrested for being gay the equally masturbaters should be arrested and that woul be fair game. If you think masturbaters shouldn’t be arrested then the gay should be left alone.
Imwe mwebantu don’t involve p.ornhub subscribers in this mess. Leave them alone……kikiki
Zambia is not a gay supporting country. If this was ordained by God then He would have made Adam and Steve not Adam and Eve.
Gays can go to one of two places.
1. Go to the so called Western world
2. Go to prison
Cuba a country Zambia looks forward to has just legalised same sex marriage. Cuba is not the west and not a puppet as Fred Mmembe calls other countries. So where is Fred going to get assistance from? Gay supporting Cuba?
Zambia does not look up to Cuba. You uninformed *****s do not know that Cuba has had tolerant views to homosexuality for decades. My friend studied in Cuba in the 1980s and came back to Zambia telling me how pro homosexual Cubans are. Why that should surprise anyone is beyond me. The Cubans come from the Spanish culture. Spain is right next to homosexual Rome and Greece. Italy and Spain share more or less the same language, culture and history… Please do not get confused about the homosexual tolerance of Cuba
The fudge is the commission talking about? Either condemn or support, you cant do both.
The HRC is simply saying that being gay is not a criminal offence in Zambia. This should also not be confused with gay rape. That is a separate offence altogether. IT IS NOT ILLEGAL in Zambia to be transgender, queer, trans sexual. In fact, it is not even illegal to be gay or a lesboian either. The law forbids ‘un-natural acts’ and acts of ‘gross indecency’ between same sex people but there is no legal definition of what these are. It is a pity that no non-prejudiced lawyer has ever defended accused persons.
The Alphabet agenda is part of the population control agenda being imposed on Africa. The more HS you have in the country, the less procreation happens as what’s happening in Europe. The country’s procreation rate begins to go down, as the homosexuals cannot reproduce. Also opposition to the homosexual agenda is not hate. Hate is when you call for violence against them. No one is doing that. We Zambians just want to save our moral values, African and Christian values and traditions. You have to respect that.
The author should be prosecuted , investigated thoroughly and in the nearest possible time avail to the nation the ware bouts of a communiity of gays and lesbians in zambia ,let him eleborate and pinpoint these criminals so that law should take its course..
the commission statement very confusing all in all the HOMOSEXUAL business its not needed in zambia who ever is championing this agender try the western part of the world,from the way the commission is coming out sounds like he wants to say give room to batty bwoys zambia has accept this agenda. but if zambia as they clam that its a christian nation here is what the bible say on HOMOSEXUALS ( batty bwoys) ( (Leviticus 18-20 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them … ) so in the name of human rights you want to defile the command of God who dose that?
While reading your comment, I realised that this issue has been around even during the time Moses(while in Africa or on his way back to Hebrew land) wrote Leviticus. It’s a very old sin, I see. God used to throw Kaleza at sinners during those times, wapya munzi so ……kikiki
This is not a statement. It’s a ruse to lose the reader in a confusing maze.