Patriotic Front Member of the Central Committee and Chairperson of Information and Publicity, Emmanuel Mwamba has called for the immediate resignation of Chief Justice Mumba Malila following reports that he has called for support of gay rights.
In today’s edition of the News Diggers Paper, Chief Justice Dr. Mumba Malila, State Counsel is quoted saying, “It’s absolutely wrong to discriminate against gay people because they are human beings whose rights must also be respected.”
The Chief Justice was delivering a public lecture on 22nd September at the University of Zambia on Human Rights Justice Beyond the National Courts as part of the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court.
Mr. Mwamba states that if this statement is true, the Chief Justice must immediately resign, stating that his primary role and his duty is to respect, uphold, protect and safeguard the Constitution and not to violate it.
Meanwhile, a group of 18 Zambian human rights lawyers have issued a joint statement to stand in solidarity with the Chief Justice’s position on the Rights of Gay Persons in Zambia, after he has come under fire for making the remarks.
They state that as lawyers with an interest in human rights, they support the Chief Justice’s view that gay people are entitled to all rights provided in the Constitution. These include freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, privacy, equality and dignity. These fundamental freedoms are enjoyed by all people, grounded on the principle of equality and non-discrimination, and elevated above the capricious whims of the majority. Therefore, gay people do not enjoy these rights as a gift from the majority but rather by virtue of being human.
