Zambian Court Sentences Two Men to 15 Years for Gay Sex

Two men have been handed a 15-year sentence after they were caught “having sex against the order of nature” at a lodge in Kapiri Mposhi, in central Zambia, in 2017.

The court heard that Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba booked a room at the lodge, where they were caught having sex by a female member of staff, who saw them through an open window.

The worker then alerted other staff members at the lodge, who came to the window to corroborate her accusation.

Charles Zulu, a high court judge, refused to review the verdict that had been given in a lower court.

Of the previous trial, Judge Zulu said the “court cannot be faulted and there is no basis to review or substitute the conviction and I further find that there were no irregularities by the trial court”.

Zulu said he was happy with the way the lower court had conducted the proceedings, and the verdict had been given within the confines of the law.

Zambia is a socially conservative country where homosexual acts are illegal.

The country’s president, Edgar Lungu, who trained as a lawyer before entering politics, has said he will not impose gay rights on Zambians in exchange for donor aid.