Gay couple released from jail after pardon from president

LILONGWE – A gay Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years in prison were released from jail late on Saturday after a presidential pardon, Sapa news agency reported yesterday.

Malawi’s leader pardoned the couple on humanitarian grounds on Saturday after a meeting with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who applauded the move and urged the country to amend “outdated” laws on homosexuality. “We were asked to release them immediately,” prison service spokesman Evance Phiri was quoted by Sapa as saying.

Steven Monjeza (26) and Tiwonge Chimbalanga (20) were arrested after celebrating their engagement in a traditional ceremony in late December.

They were tried and found guilty this month of sodomy and indecency. The trial became a test case for gay rights in the southern African country.

Activists and the international community welcomed the pardon, with the White House urging an end to “the persecution and criminalisation of sexual orientation and gender identity”.

Homosexuality in Africa has become a contentious issue after a Ugandan lawmaker proposed a Bill including the death penalty for some acts, police raided a gay wedding in Kenya, and the Malawian couple were arrested.

While homosexuality is illegal in most of Africa’s 53 nations, including Malawi and Kenya, South Africa passed legislation in 2006 recognising same-sex marriages. – (Reuters)