A DESPICABLE BRITISH-colonial era law, supported to hilt by the inordinate number of Christian fundamentalists who infest the impoverished southern African state of Malawi, was used today to impose a 14-year jail sentence, with hard labour, on two young gay men who committed no crime other than to love each other.

According to this report, the conviction of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga Â for “unnatural acts” and “gross indecency” shows a growing divide between human rights groups that fight for more tolerance of homosexuals and conservative Christian churches that combine with traditional values to demonise and persecute gays.



I am angry. I am angry because the right to marry is the choice of an individual rather than a state. I am angry that a dusty law book decides who we have a right to love. I am angry because I know it’s hard to find love in the world and no one should ever stand in love’s way. I am angry because no one should be asked to have relationships in secret. I am angry that so many are forced into the closets, furthering shame and stigma.

What I know is true is that there is no shame in being gay. Love does not understand gender.

These two men did something brave. They spoke up and they spoke out.

No one in Malawi has done this publicly before.

They are fierce and brave.

Like Ugandan Christians who have pushed through an anti-gay bill that originally would have executed homosexuals accused of sex with a minor, and like Kenyan Christian churches that seek to derail a new Constitution because of its supposed encouragement of abortion, Malawian society continues to ban homosexuality on legal, moral, and cultural grounds.The two men fell foul of the law when they courageously and publicly took part in an engagement ceremony. Chimbalanga, a 20-year-old hotel janitor, and his unemployed partner were arrested on December 27, the day after they celebrated their engagement with a party at the hotel where Chimbalanga worked â€” an apparent first in Malawi.Writing for the Huffington Post from Malawi, Mia Kirshner raged

Before the men were sentenced, Tiwonge was quoted as saying:

I love Steven so much. If people or the world cannot give me the chance and freedom to continue living with him as my lover, then I am better off to die here in prison. Freedom without him is useless and meaningless.

Kirshner is now imploring people to sign a petition calling on the Malawi authorities to overturn the sentence.

Please. I ask that the international community of activists, the United Nations, politicians in Malawi and international human rights lawyers speak up and help these men.

By doing this, protection of individual rights will be served and precedent set to in order to open the doors for other couples to be able to stop living in fear.

Malawi gets most of its foreign aid from the United Kingdom. Earlier this month the Malawi Government expressed hope that the new UK coalition government led by new Prime Minister David Cameron of Conservative and his deputy Nick Clegg of Liberal Democrats would continue injecting financial aid to the country.

Deputy Minister in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Nicholas Dausi told Capital Radio that Britain has been providing financial assistance to the country since the 1960s despite changes in its leadership.

As government we expect the usual flow of British aid to Malawi. The British government has given substantive amount of aid to this country and we expect more.

The Malawi High Commissioner in London is Dr Francis Moto. You can communicate your outrage to him by writing to the Commission, which is located at 70 Winnington Road, London N2 0TX, United Kingdom, or by telephoningÂ +44(0) 20 8455 5624. The fax no is +44(0) 20 3235 1066 and the Emails are malawi@malawihighcommission.co.uk/ malawihighcom@btconnect.com