Amnesty Urges Malawi to Free Jailed Gay Couple
Wed Jan 6, 10:16 am ET
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Human rights watchdog Amnesty International Wednesday called for the release of a Malawian gay couple jailed last week after holding a traditional wedding ceremony.
"The arrest of the two men solely for their real or perceived sexual orientation amounts to discrimination and it is in violation of their rights to freedom of conscience, expression and privacy," the group said in a statement.
"Amnesty International considers individuals imprisoned solely for their consensual sexual relationship in private as prisoners of conscience and calls for their immediate and unconditional release," it added.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested on December 28 in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre for holding the country's first public same-sex wedding -- an act that landed them with three charges of "indecent practices".
The couple has pleaded not guilty, and has been denied bail. If convicted, they face up to 14 years in prison.
The organisation also accused the Malawian authorities of trying to force the couple to undergo a medical examination to establish if they had had sex to so they could be charged with sodomy as well.
However the examination did not happen as officials could not find an "expert" to conduct the exam.
Amnesty also warned that the arrest risked driving underground men who have sex with men in Malawi which will make it more difficult for them to access to information on HIV prevention and health services.
Monjeza and Chimbalanga's five-month love affair has shocked the conservative nation where homosexuality is banned and where sex topics are still largely taboo.
The couple had not applied for legal recognition of their relationship.
Despite the government's laws against homosexuality, authorities do recognise the existence of gays in Malawi and often call on them to come out in order to help fight AIDS in a country where 12 percent of adults have HIV.
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Human rights watchdog Amnesty International Wednesday called for the release of a Malawian gay couple jailed last week after holding a traditional wedding ceremony.
"The arrest of the two men solely for their real or perceived sexual orientation amounts to discrimination and it is in violation of their rights to freedom of conscience, expression and privacy," the group said in a statement.
"Amnesty International considers individuals imprisoned solely for their consensual sexual relationship in private as prisoners of conscience and calls for their immediate and unconditional release," it added.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were arrested on December 28 in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre for holding the country's first public same-sex wedding -- an act that landed them with three charges of "indecent practices".
The couple has pleaded not guilty, and has been denied bail. If convicted, they face up to 14 years in prison.
The organisation also accused the Malawian authorities of trying to force the couple to undergo a medical examination to establish if they had had sex to so they could be charged with sodomy as well.
However the examination did not happen as officials could not find an "expert" to conduct the exam.
Amnesty also warned that the arrest risked driving underground men who have sex with men in Malawi which will make it more difficult for them to access to information on HIV prevention and health services.
Monjeza and Chimbalanga's five-month love affair has shocked the conservative nation where homosexuality is banned and where sex topics are still largely taboo.
The couple had not applied for legal recognition of their relationship.
Despite the government's laws against homosexuality, authorities do recognise the existence of gays in Malawi and often call on them to come out in order to help fight AIDS in a country where 12 percent of adults have HIV.
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