The State Department is pulling the US ambassador to Zambia after the country’s president objected to the ambassador’s harsh criticism of the government’s record on gay rights and corruption.
Ambassador Hon. Daniel Foote
This rare and extraordinary move indicates a vast change in American strength of values abroad as we acquiesce to complaints of this nature.
Earlier this month, US Ambassador Daniel Foote criticized people in the conservative Christian country for comparing homosexuality to bestiality and for the poor treatment of two gay men and the harshness of the 15 year prison term they received under the anti gay Penal Code.
He also slammed Zambian government officials for “stealing millions of dollars in public funds,” which the government has denied. Zambia said it had asked for the ambassador’s withdrawal, and the State Department said it was “dismayed” by its complaints.
I could never have imagined such a shameful weakness on the part of the USA . With a Trump administration we can no longer rely on the consistent support of the United States government to prop up and support basic human rights. This trajectory is dangerous for our LGBTQI family abroad and has significant repercussions everywhere. MELANIE NATHAN, AFRICAN HRC.
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