WTF: A Couple In Malawi Facing 10 Years In Prison For Being Gay
HipHop Wired reports
A gay couple has been jailed and convicted over what the judge deemed inappropriate and unnatural behavior.
According to reports, Malawian citizens Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, who are openly gay men, were arrested after celebrating their engagement with a party at a hotel where Chimbalanga worked.
In court, the judge deemed the act of homosexuality to be inappropriate and convicted the couple for unnatural acts and gross indecency under laws dating from the colonial era. Blantyre Chief Resident Magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa said the sentencing will take place on Thursday and they could be imprisoned for up to 14 years.
Edi Phiri, a gay man who fled Malawi for Britain five years ago after being beaten because of his sexuality, said he was shocked by Tuesday's verdict.
"It's very, very pathetic," he said. "I don't know how I can describe how disappointed I am."
For the gay men and lesbians that remain, many feel that the verdict will cause them to go into hiding thus making the tracking of AIDS and HIV harder, because gay people forced underground in Africa are unlikely to seek counseling and treatment for AIDS, activists say. In Malawi, nearly 1 million people – an estimated 12 percent of the population – are living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Although facing very harsh criticism from neighboring European countries, the Malawian government, backed by church leaders, says it is clear the two men broke the law.
Religious officials say homosexuality is "sinful" and the West should not be allowed to use its financial power to force Malawi to accept homosexuality. Malawi relies on donors for 40 percent of its development budget.
At the verdict reading, the attorney for the two gentlemen, Priti Patel of the Southern African Litigation Centre, said the couple could appeal on the grounds that the laws under which they were prosecuted violate the country's 1994 constitution; although an earlier attempt by their lawyer to have the case thrown out on those grounds was rejected.
Homosexuality is illegal in at least 37 countries in Africa including Malawi. In Uganda, lawmakers are considering a bill that could sentence homosexuals to life in prison and includes capital punishment for "repeat offenders." Even in South Africa, the only African country that recognizes gay rights, gangs have raped lesbians.
Comment
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Comment by killa on May 29, 2010 at 10:46am -
smfh what is wrong with yall bastards........its wrong idiot....i will pray for yall....this is a sick disease that need to be stopped....
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Comment by Cameron Cooke on May 29, 2010 at 3:19am -
no you go die "killa >>dr. goon" if "god" didnt want anyone 2 b gay, then why the f*** did he give everyone the opportunity 2 do what the f*** they want?
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Comment by killa on May 26, 2010 at 4:28pm
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no no leanardo f*** u.........u f****** f**......die with all of them
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Comment by killa on May 20, 2010 at 7:34am
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i go with what the bible says...being gay is wrong....now they tryna bring gay to the mother land africa keep that s*** in america dont make their disease reach in africa....i wanna commend that government but they should have been sentensed to be hanged by the balls..........amen may the lord be with yall keep in mind......man to man is so unjust...
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Comment by Cameron Cooke on May 20, 2010 at 2:24am
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@KING gay people should have the right all over the world to express their emotional love for one another, this has nothing to do with what some sick ass people do to their animals and family members (thats different if you have the brain capacity to realize that) . whats right is whats mortally accepted by the majority, and i can surely tell you that the majority wont take a second to put their hand up and argue the concept of love between two people, i understand that different places have different laws (eg the no chewing gum in Singapore, it's your choice to chew the gum) but it's NOT your choice to choose you fall in love with, just like it's NOT our choice to be born of a certain race, discrimination is indefinitely an avoidable outcome. (get ready for some rebuttal, if you know what that means) Sure Africa might have a law based upon peoples rights and not being gay, but as a developing country they should seek the fact if they continue sending people to jail for ridiculous amounts of years, they will have it coming to them, And for you "King" i think you shall seek medical advice because i believe you and all other haters on this form have HOMOPHOBIA!!!!!!
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Comment by QUEENS ALL DAY on May 20, 2010 at 1:49am -
I CAN TELL ALOT OF NIGGAS GONNA BE DISOWNING UR SON ONE DAY!!!!!
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Comment by killa on May 20, 2010 at 12:02am
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well if their going to prison for being gay i love that yeah thats a great idea we need to enforce that across the whole world...........thats the best thing to happen at this pointing time may all gays die and rest in pieces if they cant repent lord forgive me for sayin that amen...
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Comment by T Money on May 19, 2010 at 10:14pm -
All of the debate over this is stupid. At least from a Christianity standpoint this is between you and God. The rest of your fellow humans were not asked by Jesus to judge and sentence you, instead we were asked to love everyone including our enemies. While I do think homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of God, I love these men for who they are not what they choose to do together. God is the arbiter of justice. We need to leave it up to them. This is a terrible act of casting these people out instead of loving them. Not what they DO but love them for being humans created in the image of God.
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Comment by NEWARK_BRICKZ on May 19, 2010 at 9:51pm -
speak that real ish Nev...look at the headline it is clearly telling people to accept this form of lifestyle. Thisis50 is clear promoting homsexuality. Not just them, many media outlets help push this agenda....and to answer Rev question. Yeah I would rather see two females but that still doesn't make it right. Whats wrong is wrong and you can't change that. I don't care if you male or female, HOMOSEXUALITY IS WRONG!
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Comment by Jullsan on May 19, 2010 at 8:32pm -
Seriously what are we even fighting about? This is getting nowhere.
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