Ugandan pop star suffers ‘revenge porn’ attack

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A Ugandan singer has come to rue the day she let a boyfriend take compromising photos of her.

Desire Luzinda is about to find out whether the maxim ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity’ holds any water
Desire Luzinda is about to find out whether the maxim ‘there is no such thing as bad publicity’ holds any water

Desire Luzinda may face arrest after nude photographs went viral on social media and turned up in newspapers.

“I was in love,” Luzinda told a BBC interviewer. “I have never taken nude pictures. When my mother called me she asked, ‘Where you drugged, where you drunk? Because honestly, this isn’t you.’ I didn’t have an answer.”

Simon Lokodo, the country’s State Minister for Ethics and integrity wants Luzinda charged under strict anti-pornography laws passed last year to punish ‘indecent behaviour’.

“I have directed the police to arrest her, but first they should investigate her,” Lokodo told the Monitor last week, adding: “She should be locked up and isolated.”

Patricia Okiria, an ethics ministry official, told the Ugandan newspaper New Vision that the singer might not be charged with a crime, but “will only be contacted to help in the investigations on this case.

One of the few images that we could publish unedited
One of the few images that we could publish unedited

“She will help us in establishing the motive of releasing the pornographic content (…) Her answers will help us substantiate her role in this saga. We need to know whether she consented before these photos were taken,” Okiria added. Her last comment is somewhat hollow, since it is clear from most of the photographs that Luzinda was a willing subject.

Twenty-six-year-old mother of one Luzinda has called the incident “a breach of trust by someone I loved. I take full responsibility for having lost my mind to take such shameful pics. This person has not only abused that trust but now seeks to drag me down.”

The ex-boyfriend who released the pictures, Nigerian Franklin Emuobor Ebenhron posted the following by way of a motive on social media accompanied by an unprintable pornographic image of his ex:

“If i were Desire or Henry I wont start this bcos the truth will surely come out,am a nigerian very proud one for that matter, I gave her a concert she never had for years and so much more so if am a nigerian she has the right to cheat on me with all this countless list: frank car broker, John seroma, Hajii, Dj western, Tonas, Seya, John again, Chris, Ben misagga, this list will not end today, and u expect me to pay her debts she incurred during concert, If I were ur brother what will u advise..if am this bad man she won’t be so excited while I take this pix.

Luzinda is said to be “devastated” and “in hiding”.