Justice minister wants no justice for Zambian gays

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran. He is the…

He’s Zambia’s justice minister, but don’t expect justice from him if you happen to be gay or lesbian.

Wynter Kabimba, Zambian justice minister and Patriotic Front secretary general (Photo courtesy of Lusaka Times)

Without citing any evidence, Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba claims that Zambia is the victim of an international conspiracy spending “colossal sums of money” to promote homosexuality.

Zambia has “no room for gays, ” he said Saturday at a fundraising dinner for the Lusaka branch of the Patriotic Front political party.

He advised Zambians to be wary and to report to police anyone working to “import” or sponsor homosexual activity in Zambia.

He said Zambians should discard homosexuality at all costs, the Lusaka Times reported. Kabimba said:

“As Zambians, we declared that we are a Christian nation and there is no way we can allow this un-Zambian culture. I want to urge all Zambians to rise and denounce this vice.

“Why should someone or institutions want to import this homosexuality and try to influence others to practise it? We can’t allow it, I am calling on all citizens to stand firm and reject it.”

Ignoring the fact that LGBT people in his country are a native-born oppressed minority driven into hiding by government-sponsored persecution, Kabimba claims that Zambia is the target of an international “homosexuality recruitment drive”:

He said Zambians should not be influenced to fall prey to homosexual practices because of some international organisations which had pumped in colossal sums of money to sponsor the vice.

He said citizens should be cautious of some people receiving finances from external institutions and pumping it in Zambia in a bid to massively influence innocent citizens on homosexuality recruitment drive.

Many gay rights activists are in hiding out of fear being arrested in the wake of a widely publicized and possibly fraudulent attempt by four allegedly gay couples seeking to register as married on Easter weekend.

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After the incident, LGBT activists say, violations have been on the increase against gay and lesbian citizens of Zambia, including violence, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, blackmail and extortion.

Paul Kasonkomona (Photo courtesy of Muvi TV)

Zambian human rights activist Paul Kasonkomona is out on bail awaiting trial for “idle disorderly conduct” because of his statements on a local television program calling for homosexual relationships to be decriminalized.

The human rights group Friends of Rainka pleaded with Zambian officials, religious leaders, and the media to avoid making inflammatory statements that might lead to increased violence against LGBTI people.

But, as the O-blog-dee blog commented, “It seems that the Justice Minister has just granted a license to hunt and hurt gays, at a time when LGBTI activists in Zambia are reporting more incidents of human rights violations against LGBTI persons, including acts of violence, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, blackmail and extortion.”