Africa-Press – Zambia. Justice Minister Mulambo Haimbe has stated that Zambia will not decriminalize same sex relationship as doing so violates the country’s values, morals and beliefs as enshrined in the Constitution.
Mr Haimbe made the remarks recently at the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group in Geneva, Switzerland. He was responded to recommendations that Zambia take steps to reform laws on same sex relationships.
According to recommendations made by a special team of UN experts, they want Zambia to decriminalize same-sex relationships between consenting adults.
They also recommended that Zambia repeals laws that criminalize same-sex conduct between adults and review all legislation, policies and programs to foster equality and prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The panel also recommended that Zambia decriminalizes same sex relationships between consenting adults and strengthen efforts to address inequality and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
They also recommended that Zambia respects the rights and fundamental freedoms of the LGBTI people through the repeal of all norms that criminalize and stigmatize the LGBTI person.
They further recommended that Zambia reviews and repeals the legislation that criminalizes consensual sexual behavior between people of the same sex; and prohibit degrading practices imposed on people of the LGBTI community, such as forced anal examinations.
And in his response to the panel, Mr. Haimbe stated that Zambia considers the recommendations as those that violate its values, morals and beliefs as enshrined in the Constitution.
Zambia’s human rights record was examined by the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group for the fourth time last month on 30 January 2023.
This was Zambia’s fourth UPR review with the first, second and third UPR reviews having taken place in May 2008, October 2012 and November 2017, respectively.
The documents on which the reviews are based are national report which contains information provided by the State under review and information contained in the reports of independent human rights experts and groups, known as the Special Procedures, human rights treaty bodies, and other UN entities and information provided by other stakeholders including national human rights institutions, regional organizations, and civil society groups.
The three reports serve as the basis for the review of Zambia on 30 January can be found here. The UPR was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) in 2006, as a State-driven voluntary peer-review process which provides the opportunity for each State to declare the steps taken at the national level to improve the human rights situation in that State and to fulfill their human rights obligations.
At the UPR, all 193 Member States of the UN are reviewed without any selectivity or discrimination. It is periodic and is repeated every four-and half years. Three sessions are held each year and 14 countries are reviewed in one session. As such, each Member State of the UN is reviewed every 4 years.
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