Zambia court delivers toughest-ever rape sentences

LUSAKA, May 24 (Reuters) A judge has handed two men Zambia's toughest ever jail terms for raping underage girls in what a women's group described as ''a milestone for justice'' in a country where sexual attacks on minors are on the increase.

Judge Gregory Phiri sentenced Kebby Mukela and David Mbale to 35 years in prison with hard labour for raping young girls, saying he hoped the long sentence would be a deterrent to other such crimes.

State radio reported that three other men were handed sentences between 14 and 30 years with hard labour for raping girls in the judgement delivered late yesterday.

''The judgement is an important milestone in the delivery of justice in Zambia and I am sure it will act as a deterrent to men in the habit of raping girls,'' said Engwase Mwale, the executive director of the umbrella women's group, NGOCC.

''The judgement will send signals that justice is beginning to be delivered in the right way,'' Mwale told Reuters.

Mwale said the judge had taken a bold step by meting out jail sentences far lengthier than the 25 years sentence for rapists suggested by the law.

State radio said one man was jailed for 14 years after he was found attempting to rape a mentally retarded girl. All the girls raped were between the age of nine and 14 while the men were aged between 26 and 35.

Medical officials say Zambia has seen higher incidences of men raping minors spurred by the mistaken belief that having sex with virgins heals HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

Analysts also say some men rape girls as a way of sexual cleansing after the death of a wife, reflecting a widely held African traditional belief that a man could be haunted by the ''ghost'' of his late wife if he is not cleansed.

REUTERS AK RK1840