Two men in Zimbabwe face 14 years in jail over sodomy charges
Two men are facing sodomy charges in Zimbabwe (Canva)
Two men in Zimbabwe face being jailed for up to 14 years over charges of sodomy.
The two men, named by local media as Tavimbanashe Chawatama, 28, and Leonard Nyakudya, 25, appeared at Harare Magistrates’ Court where they faced sodomy charges.
LGBTQ+ people face prison sentences for consensual same-sex activity and have no protections from sexuality or gender discrimination in employment or housing in the southern African country. The penalties date back to colonial-era times when the country was known as Rhodesia, and became more draconian in the mid-90s.
One queer refugee has previously told PinkNews that being openly LGBTQ+ in Zimbabwe is “very, very hard” and you “have to live a lie”.
According to prosecutors, the two men moved in together last year, and engaged in same-sex sexual activity – evidence of which was said to have been recorded on their phones.
In August, one of them accused the other of infidelity and there were accusations of money going missing. They decided to call the police to resolve the issue of the cash but were subsequently arrested as details of their alleged relationship emerged.
Zimbabwe’s National Prosecuting Authority said in a court document: “The accused persons inadvertently furnished the police with details of the crime of sodomy as they narrated the issue of the missing money and their living arrangements, resulting in their subsequent arrest.”
The men were released on bail.
