Zambia court acquits journalist in obscenity trial

LUSAKA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - A Zambian journalist who was put on trial for distributing obscene materials, after sending the vice president photographs of a woman giving birth in a hospital car park, was acquitted on Monday.

Chansa Kabwela, news editor at The Post newspaper, was arrested in July after she sent senior officials photos of the woman giving birth in the car park without medical assistance during a national health workers' pay strike.

"The prosecution has failed to establish a prima facie case and it would be prejudicial for me to put the accused on her defence," said magistrate Charles Kafunda in acquitting Kabwela and dismissing the case. The trial began in August.

Kabwela told Reuters the woman's family had taken the pictures and given them to the newspaper to draw attention to the severe impact of the strike on people's lives.

The pictures were not publishable so she had sent them to government officials in the hope that they would stop the strike, she said.

Zambian President Rupiah Banda condemned The Post for circulating what he called pornography. (Reporting By Chris Mfula, editing by Tim Pearce)