Second Zimbabwe gay activist pleads not guilty on porn charges
The second Zimbabwean gay rights activist to be charged with having porn in her office has pleaded not guilty.
Ellen Chadehama, 34, a worker for the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) organisation, was arrested in May with another staff member, Ignatius Muhambi, 38.
Both were charged with possessing “indecent material” and also faced charges of insulting the president.
At a separate trial last month, Mr Muhambi was found not guilty of the porn offence, while charges of insulting President Robert Mugabe were dropped.
The latter charge related to a displayed letter of support for former San Francisco mayor, Willie Lewis Brown, which criticised President Mugabe’s stance on homosexuality.
Ms Chadehama’s trial for the porn offence began on Monday, the Zimbabwean reports.
The alleged material, which was said to depict men having sex, was found during a police raid on GALZ’s offices.
Ms Chadehama denies the charge, saying she was not present at the time of the raid.
Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe and President Mugabe has frequently criticised it, once calling gays and lesbians lower than “dogs and pigs”.
