The 15-year prison sentences imposed this week on a gay Zambian couple are a shocking miscarriage of justice, African gay-rights activists declare. The U.S. ambassador to Zambia agreed, saying that the sentences harm the country’s international reputation and perpetuate discrimination.

Pan-Africa ILGA, the African chapter of the International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association, is appealing to Zambians, other Africans and international human rights defenders to intensify their opposition to Zambia’s harsh anti-gay laws.

The court action is an invasion of privacy, a violation of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and “impairment of one’s right to practice their full identity as a human being,” Pan-Africa ILGA stated.

U.S. Ambassador Foote said that Zambia’s repression of its gay citizens contrasts with its leniency toward actual crimes: “Government officials can steal millions of public dollars without prosecution, political cadres can beat innocent citizens for expressing their opinions with no consequences, or poachers/traffickers can kill numerous elephants, barbarically chainsaw and sell their tusks, and face a maximum of only five years imprisonment in Zambia.” Read more via Rights Africa