Homophobic violence and arrests erupt in Burundi, Zambia, Ghana
A surge of homophobic violence and arrests has hit Burundi, Zambia and Ghana.
In Burundi on Feb. 23, police arrested 17 men and seven women attending a seminar organized by a MUCO Burundi, a non-profit organisation that focuses on HIV/AIDS. After 10 days in detention and interrogations, they were charged with “homosexual practices”, which is punishable by a prison sentence of three months to two years.
Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye said recently: “I ask all Burundians to curse those who indulge in homosexuality because God cannot bear it. They must be banished, treated as pariahs in our country.”
In Zambia on March 5, police arrested four organizers of an authorized march protesting gender-based violence. The four women are members of Sista Sista Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group.
A Zambian police spokesman said the protesters promoted LGBTQ rights instead of sticking to the approved focus of the protest about sexual and gender rights.
VOA reported that the “four suspects were released on police bond Wednesday and will soon appear in court. Three suspects have been charged with giving false information to a public officer and, if convicted, could face up to seven years in jail. Group co-founder Mwangala Monde has also been charged with unlawful assembly, and if convicted could face an additional jail term of six months.”
In Ghana on March 4, armed Ghanaian soldiers stormed and disrupted a birthday party of an alleged gay person in the James Town (Gamashie) section of Accra. Several people were reportedly injured in the attack.
