Prominent Zambian rights activist Paul
Kasonkomona on Thursday pleaded not guilty to charges of promoting
homosexuality, after appearing live on television to argue for gay
relationships.
"I deny the charge, your
honour," Kasonkomona said in his first court appearance since being
detained Sunday on charges of soliciting for an "immoral purpose".
He was granted bail following an
application by his lawyer and an outcry from rights groups.
The 38-year-old activist, who is
heterosexual, was arrested in the capital on Sunday, minutes after he appeared
on a live TV show where he openly advocated for gay rights.
Sources at the television station said
police tried to stop the interview and take Kasonkomona off air but management
refused.
Homosexuality is outlawed in Zambia,
as in most African countries, and discrimination against gays and lesbians is
rife.
South Africa
is the only country on the continent to have legalised same-sex marriages.
Kasonkomona, whose wife attended the
court hearing, was granted bail of 5,000 kwacha ($930).
He was ordered to return to court for
trial on May 15, in what will be a rare court hearing on homosexuality in
Zambia.
Arguing for bail to be granted, his
lawyer Sunday Nkonde said he was HIV-positive and needed to be home to receive
health adequate care.
Kasonkomona's lawyers have also filed
papers in a separate court suing the police for wrongful detention.
He claimed that for the four days he
was held by police he was unable to take his tuberculosis and anti-retroviral
drugs at the prescribed times.
The medicines were in the custody of
the police.
"He is on second line treatment
for HIV and AIDS and also on tuberculosis treatment which medication... (was)
administered to the plaintiff very late contrary to the medically prescribed
times," read the papers filed on Wednesday.
In a landmark case last year, Zambia's
High Court heard that HIV-positive prisoners were being denied access to
life-prolonging drugs and a balanced diet.
Kasonkomona's arrest outraged human
rights groups, which had been calling for his immediate release and for the
"spurious" charges against him to be dropped.
It was "outrageous" that
Kasonkomona had spent three nights in detention for "such a minor
offence", said Anneke Meerkotter, a lawyer at the Southern African
Litigation Center.
His "unlawful arrest and
detention" was "a blatant attempt to silence anyone who promotes the
human rights of sexual minorities in Zambia," she added.
Last week, a group of gay couples in
Zambia attempted to register their marriages but were stopped.
The government later ordered the
arrest of anyone practising homosexuality.
A Pew Poll from 2010 showed that 98
percent of Zambians are Christian and 85 percent believe in the literal
interpretation of the bible.
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